Paraguay: Peña deposed as president and placed under house arrest

In Paraguay, the current president Santiago Peña has been deposed. The country's Senate voted unanimously for the impeachment after the Chamber of Deputies had previously voted in favor of it. The senators agreed that Peña was guilty of dereliction of duty in office. The previous vice president, Pedro Alliana, was sworn in as the new president.

Peña did not appear at the Senate hearing himself, but was represented by his lawyers. He had previously asked for the appointment to be postponed by 72 hours, but this was rejected by senators.

Arrest ordered

Shortly after the impeachment, prosecutors ordered house arrest for Peña and the arrest of former central bank chief Carlos Carvallo. She is investigating suspected breach of trust and other crimes in connection with the bankruptcy of the digital bank Ueno.

According to the order, Peña will be held at his home until he is brought before the agency's economic crimes and corruption division. Carvallo is being held at a police facility.

Impeachment instead of resignation

Peña submitted his resignation on Thursday to forestall impeachment proceedings. But the resignation request was not accepted at a joint meeting of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The committee no longer had a quorum after numerous MPs left the room.

According to the constitution, democratically elected former presidents become senators for life - except if they are found guilty in an impeachment trial. As a senator, Peña would have had parliamentary immunity.

The crisis was triggered by Peña's ties to Bank Ueno, which was placed into receivership by the central bank on Tuesday due to a lack of capital. Millions of people now fear for their savings.