The opposition in Paraguay submitted a memorandum to remove President Santiago Peña from office, against the backdrop of the central bank’s seizure of a large, troubled bank with which the president had previously had connections.
The decision to seize Ueno Bank on Tuesday deprived millions of depositors, including retirees, of access to their money and savings.
Peña, who belongs to the right-wing movement, previously owned shares in a group that controls Ueno Bank, but he sold them last year.
Agence France-Presse quoted Mauricio Espinola, a representative who defected from the ruling party, as saying that the impeachment request, which is based on accusations of misconduct and conflicts of interest, was signed by 35 opposition representatives in Congress.
وأضاف أن الكونغرس سيعقد جلسة لمناقشة هذه المذكرة صباح الخميس.
In order to proceed with the proposed impeachment procedures against President Peña and his vice president, Pedro Aliana, the approval of at least 53 members out of 80 in the House of Representatives is required, after considering the charges against them.
If approved, the memorandum will move to the Senate, where it will need the approval of 30 out of 45 members.
The party to which President Peña belongs has a majority in both chambers of the Council.
Ueno Bank says it has more than three million customers, roughly half of Paraguay's population, and also manages millions of dollars allocated for pensions, in addition to other government funds.
The Central Bank explained that it took control of Ueno Bank due to a severe shortage of capital, with the aim of “protecting depositors and maintaining the stability of the financial system.”
The authorities suspended the bank's services while they work to arrange procedures for depositors' recovery of their money.
In this context, Central Bank Governor Carlos Carvalho, who previously headed Ueno Bank, submitted his resignation on Tuesday, at the request of Peña.
Former presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro said that he left Brazil for the United States to escape “persecution” in his country.
Bolsonaro, who lost the run-off in the presidential elections on Sunday to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, secretly left Brazil on Tuesday and arrived in the US state of Florida on a private plane on Wednesday, passing through Argentina and Ecuador.
The Brazilian senator said during a live broadcast on the Instagram platform yesterday (Friday), in which he discussed his decision to leave, that “the persecution began much earlier than I imagined,” noting that his Brazilian passports were canceled as part of an investigation related to money laundering.
In the video clip, he recounted how the police informed him, on Monday, that his passports had been canceled while he was heading to visit his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest.
He said: “He told me with tears in his eyes: You know what they are seeking behind this, right?”, adding: “I told him: Father... now I know what I must do.”
Although he did not provide details about how he left the country, he stated that he made the decision with his wife “without anyone’s knowledge,” and urged people not to “point the finger at anyone,” according to what Agence France-Presse reported.
Both US President Donald Trump and his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milley, are facing pressure to clarify the extent of the United States and Argentina's involvement in the senator's escape.
Flavio Bolsonaro said: “I did not leave Brazil; Rather, I left for Brazil,” alleging that Supreme Court Judge Alexander de Moraes had brought false accusations against him.
He also pointed out that violations occurred during the replay round, likening the matter to “goals scored with a hand touch” that were not canceled despite the presence of video assistant referee technology, without clarifying the nature of the violations.
He also predicted that the Brazilian economy would witness a “collapse” under Lula’s rule, expressing his willingness to run for president again, explaining: “I am not talking about the year 2030, but rather I am talking about what comes before that.”
