Paraguay Senate Summons President Santiago Peña to Defend Himself in Impeachment Proceedings

Paraguay’s Senate has summoned President Santiago Peña to present his defense in impeachment proceedings opened against him on Thursday, Nov. 5. He is expected to appear at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6, to answer allegations brought by lawmakers in the Chamber of Deputies. Senate President Basilio Núñez confirmed the summons after the first session of the proceedings ended at 9 p.m.

Núñez said Peña may appear in person or send legal representatives to make his case. “The prosecutors have already presented the complaint, and the charges are now being sent to the president so he can prepare his defense,” Núñez said as he left the Senate chamber. Peña said in a social media post that he would exercise his right to defend himself on Friday and would face the proceedings.

The impeachment process began at 7:45 p.m. Thursday, after the Chamber of Deputies approved the accusation against Peña. The group tasked with presenting the case to senators consists of lawmakers Rodrigo Blanco, Raúl Benítez, Rocío Vallejo, Adrián Vaesken, Pedro Gómez, Mauricio Espínola, Luis Fernando Franco and Carlos Núñez Salinas.

Núñez said the Senate would follow the deadlines set out in its rules, with the proceedings organized into five extraordinary sessions. After Peña’s defense, senators are expected to examine evidence, hear arguments from both sides and hold a roll-call vote. “We are respecting the deadlines established in the rules because complaints have already been filed with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights over fast-track procedures,” Núñez said. He added that the Senate hoped to finish the impeachment proceedings Friday, if procedural deadlines allowed.

At least 30 of the Senate’s 45 members must vote to remove Peña from office. If they approve his removal, Vice President Pedro Alliana would take over the presidency under the constitutional line of succession.

The impeachment process followed a political and banking crisis involving Ueno Bank. A joint session of Congress called to consider Peña’s submitted resignation lacked a quorum after lawmakers from the Colorado Party left the chamber, preventing the vote from continuing. Peña had announced his resignation amid the crisis, but the article said the Senate proceedings against him were moving ahead.

The Central Bank of Paraguay intervened in Ueno Bank on Tuesday, Nov. 3, after determining that the bank’s solvency ratio was below the required minimum of 50%. The intervention suspended the bank’s operations, leaving nearly 3 million customers unable to access banking services. Peña, a former shareholder in a group linked to the bank, was accused of being complicit in irregularities connected to the financial institution. He apologized to Paraguayans who had lost access to their money and said he had decided to resign to preserve national stability. “I am convinced that no position can be more important than Paraguay’s well-being. I also want to apologize to the people. If I failed at any point, it was never my intention to disappoint the trust they placed in me,” he said.