Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña has been impeached and put under house arrest after the collapse of a bank with close ties to his administration left nearly 3 million people—about 60 percent of the country’s adult population—without access to their money. Peña had tried to resign on Thursday, a day after the country’s Chamber of Deputies initiated impeachment proceedings and before lawmakers voted unanimously to impeach him. His resignation could have shielded him from arrest, as democratically elected former Paraguayan presidents become senators for life and generally cannot be detained while in office.
But lawmakers refused to accept his resignation, leaving him open to prosecution in the ordinary courts. Impeachment charges against him accused Peña of conflicts of interest, misuse of pension funds and institutional cover-ups linked to digital lender Ueno, one of the country’s biggest banks. Minutes after he was impeached on Friday, the ousted president was placed under house arrest at his residence in the capital, Asunción.
Prosecutor Silvia González said Peña “voluntarily allowed officers to enter and made himself available for all procedural purposes,” prominent Paraguayian news outlet Radio Ñanduti reported. He is due to be questioned on Saturday over alleged breach of trust, influence peddling, and misappropriation of funds. Peña's vice-president, Pedro Alliana, was sworn in as Paraguay’s new leader on Friday.
He will serve until the end of the presidential term in August 2028. This is a developing story; more to follow.
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