Former Paraguayan President Santiago Peña was arrested in Asunción on Nov. 6 after the Senate impeached and removed him from office amid a banking scandal. (Foto: Instagram)
Former Paraguayan President Santiago Peña was arrested in Asunción on Friday night, Nov. 6, following a court order, according to reports in Paraguayan media. National Police detained him at his home shortly after the Senate unanimously voted to impeach and remove him from office.
The court said there were indications of breach of trust and other crimes linked to a banking scandal that has shaken Paraguay this week. The Public Prosecutor’s Office began investigating Peña after opposition lawmakers filed a complaint accusing him of illicit enrichment, money laundering, corruption and administrative fraud. Those allegations have not been presented as proven findings.
Peña, 47, was elected president in 2023. He held shares in a company linked to Ueno Bank until March 2025. After he took office, the bank received large deposits from public agencies totaling about $850 million, equivalent to approximately 4.5 billion Brazilian reais.
Ueno Bank was dissolved on Tuesday, Nov. 3, after the Central Bank of Paraguay deemed it insolvent, meaning it lacked the funds to meet its financial obligations. The bank’s collapse unfolded amid the wider political crisis and the investigation into deposits from government agencies.
During the crisis, Peña submitted a resignation to Congress, but lawmakers did not accept it. The Senate instead removed him through impeachment on Friday. His removal also ended his political immunity, and he was arrested later that night under the court order.
