• Analysis
Paraguay president house arrest: Santiago Peña detained after rejected resignation bid
Ousted Paraguay president Santiago Peña was placed under house arrest minutes after Congress concluded his impeachment on Friday, hours after a resignation bid aimed at keeping a former president's special jurisdiction failed - with vice-president Pedro Alliana sworn in as the country's new leader.
Santiago Peña's attempt to step down on his own terms failed on Thursday, and by Friday the Paraguay president house arrest order had landed. The 47-year-old leader had tried to resign to hold on to the legal protections that come with leaving office - but lawmakers refused, and the protections never materialised.
Resignation rejected, arrest ordered
Peña, a Trump ally, had tried to resign on Thursday in a bid to retain the special jurisdiction of former presidents, who become senators for life. Lawmakers rejected the move.
- •The impeachment proceedings opened on Wednesday and concluded on Friday
- •The house arrest was ordered minutes after the proceedings closed
- •Vice-president Pedro Alliana was being sworn in as the country's new leader while the arrest was announced
Inside the home: the arrest itself
Rumours had circulated that the 47-year-old economist had fled to Argentina. They proved false. Prosecutor Elena Fiore Franco said: "It has been established that he is indeed inside his home. He voluntarily allowed officers to enter".
Peña skipped presenting his defence to Congress, leaving that task to his lawyers while continuing to post on social media.
A farewell message and an open case file
Before the impeachment concluded, Peña addressed the former Ueno customers left waiting:
"I say goodbye with gratitude, while fully recognising the anguish of those who are now waiting for answers."
His legal exposure had deepened the day before his arrest. On Thursday, the public prosecutor's office opened an investigation into him on suspicion of illicit enrichment, money laundering and influence peddling, over allegations that he used political influence to favour Ueno, the bank suspended this week after irregularities.
The warrant reaches the central bank
The arrest warrant for Peña also includes Carlos Carvallo Spalding. Peña had appointed Spalding, Ueno's former CEO, head of Paraguay's central bank, and three months into that role Spalding allowed Ueno to become a digital bank.
- •The investigation opened on Thursday rests on suspicion of illicit enrichment, money laundering and influence peddling
- •The warrant covers both Peña and Spalding
- •The next step is that investigation, run by the public prosecutor's office opened on Thursday
