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Paraguay's President Santiago Peña impeached and arrested

BBC News •
November 07, 2026 • 01:07 AM
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Peña was ousted due to a banking crisis which left millions of people unable to access their money.

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Paraguay's President Santiago Peña has been impeached and placed under house arrest.

Peña was arrested on Friday minutes after lawmakers, including from his own party, voted to remove him from office due to a crisis triggered by the collapse of Ueno Bank earlier this week.

He had offered to step down on Thursday, but the move to impeach him and charge him with misconduct rather than accept his resignation meant he was stripped of his lifetime Senate seat and the immunity granted to ex-presidents.

Peña, who until last year held shares in the company that owned the bank, has denied any wrongdoing.

The demise of the digital bank has left more than half of Paraguay's population without access to their savings after it was seized by Paraguay's central bank.

An estimated three million depositors remain unable to access their savings and pensions prompting widespread protests particularly in the capital, Asunción.

The impeachment charges that led to Peña's removal alleged he had conflicts of interest, manipulated regulatory oversight, diverted pension funds, and participated in an institutional cover-up involving the central bank.

Peña is due to be questioned on Saturday over allegations of breach of trust, influence peddling, and misappropriation of funds, prosecutor Silvia Margarita Gonzalez Vester said.

Peña's impeachment passed with 44 out of 45 senators voting in favour of it. One lawmaker was absent.

Afterwards, senate president Basilio Núñez said Peña was found guilty of "dereliction of duty".

Paraguay's Vice-President Pedro Alliana was then sworn in as interim President.

"Compatriots who are now going through a difficult time as a result of the financial collapse will be fully compensated," said Alliana, who will serve as President until 2028.

Senator Rafael Filizzola said: "We are facing the biggest corruption scandal in our democratic history – a tremendous blow to the state, to private citizens, and to the country's credibility and image."

Analysts say Peña is likely to now be prosecuted over the bank's collapse.

His defence lawyer Ricardo Preda described the allegations as a "reckless accusation" that was "irresponsible and opportunistic".

In an address to the nation on Thursday, Peña said that he was sorry and that "it was never my intention to betray the trust you placed in me".

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Same Story from Other Publications

Compare how 6 other independent news outlets reported on this story.

6 Publications
NPR News
1w ago
Paraguay's president is impeached minutes after resigning following a bank collapse

Paraguay's president is impeached minutes after resigning following a bank collapse

Paraguayan lawmakers voted to impeach President Santiago Peña minutes after his resignation, as the collapse of a digital bank tied to his government froze millions of people's savings.

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Al Jazeera English
4d ago
Paraguay raids ex-president’s home: Why a bank crash brought down Pena

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The Guardian
1w ago
Paraguay’s rightwing president resigns after savings of millions of people are frozen in banking crisis

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Santiago Peña’s administration had authorised Ueno Bank to drastically expand its operations before its collapse

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CNN International
1w ago
President of Paraguay resigns amid crisis over collapse of digital bank | CNN

President of Paraguay resigns amid crisis over collapse of digital bank | CNN

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña resigned from office this Thursday after Ueno Bank was shut down in the middle of the night due to a solvency crisis, leaving customers unable to access their money and triggering a scandal.

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SBS News Australia
5d ago
Paraguay's former president charged amid bank implosion | Evening News Bulletin 8 November 2026

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CNBC World
6d ago
Paraguay's former president faces prosecutors after his removal over bank collapse

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Prosecutors ordered the arrest of Peña as part of a criminal investigation into alleged breach of trust and other offenses tied to the collapse of Ueno Bank.

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