Santiago Peña detained in military barracks following charges in Ueno Bank scandal
The former president of Paraguay, removed from office by impeachment, was charged with breach of trust and management for personal benefit. He is lodged in the Presidential Guard Regiment under judicial order.
Former Paraguayan president detained in military barracks after being charged with corruption
Santiago Peña, removed from the presidency of Paraguay by Congress in connection with the Ueno Bank financial scandal, is lodged in the Presidential Guard Regiment whilst awaiting the start of his criminal trial. According to c5n.com, the former leader was charged by the Public Prosecutor's Office with the offences of breach of trust and management for personal benefit.
Upon his arrival at the barracks, Peña addressed the officer who received him with a remark that drew attention: "Well, commander, I'm going to be your guest for a long time," accompanied by a smile. This was recounted by colonel José Dayub on Sunday on Paraguayan radio station Ñandutí.
Without signs of despondency
Dayub, commander of the Presidential Guard Regiment, stated that the former president was transferred to the military facility for security reasons and that he does not appear "downhearted, or anything like that". Peña occupies "a normal room" with basic facilities: bed, wardrobe, fan, air conditioning and private bathroom. The regiment, added the colonel, has "a permanent perimeter security system".
Defence Minister Óscar González clarified at a press conference that Peña's presence at the facility is in compliance with a judicial order and that the assigned room is the same one used by military personnel. González expressly clarified that the facility "is not a prison".
Impeachment, removal from office and detention in a single day
The day on which Santiago Peña's removal was finalised also saw his house arrest, a sequence of events without recent precedent in the country. On the preceding Saturday, the Public Prosecutor formally charged him in connection with the Ueno Bank scandal and furthermore requested preventive detention and seizure of the former leader's assets.
The prosecutors for Economic Crimes and Anti-corruption Elena Fiore, Christian Benítez and Silvia González Véster conducted the investigation, with the participation of the agent from the Specialised Unit for Computer Crimes and Money Laundering, Ruth Karina Benítez.
Peña presented himself at the Prosecutor's Office at midday accompanied by his lawyer Ricardo Preda, who had already acted as defence counsel during the impeachment proceedings. The statement lasted until after 15:00.
Formal charges and other parties involved
Assistant Prosecutor for Economic Crimes Nancy Salomón confirmed at the end of the hearing that "from the Public Prosecutor's Office, charges have been brought against Santiago Peña", and specified that the criminal acts correspond to "breach of trust, management for personal benefit".
In parallel, Carlos Dagoberto Carvallo, former president of the Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP), was charged with breach of trust, management for personal benefit and production of false public documents.
The trigger: the closure of Ueno Bank
The political and economic crisis that led to Peña's removal originated when the BCP ordered the resolution and closure process of Ueno Bank upon detecting that its solvency ratio had fallen below half the minimum required by regulation. The bank's intervention triggered the scandal that led the Paraguayan Congress to activate the impeachment mechanism against the then head of state.
Source: Google News CL — Santiago