Paraguay’s Senate removed President Santiago Peña on Friday after the 44 senators present voted unanimously to find him guilty of misconduct in office. The decision cleared the way for Vice President Pedro Alliana to succeed Peña, ITV reported. [E1][E2]
Pedro Alliana was sworn in as Paraguay’s president Friday after the Senate removed Peña, according to an Associated Press report carried by ITV. The report said a banking scandal froze millions of people’s savings and triggered mass protests. [E2]
ITV reported that Peña’s removal bars him from the lifetime Senate seat granted to elected former presidents under Paraguay’s Constitution. It also denies him the parliamentary immunity that would accompany that Senate seat. [E3]
The Senate’s verdict came three days after regulators seized Ueno Bank, ITV reported. The seizure froze nearly 3 million customers’ access to their savings and triggered a political crisis. [E4]
Peña has denied wrongdoing, ITV reported. Prosecutors have already opened criminal investigations targeting Peña, Alliana, current and former central-bank officials, and current and former pension-fund officials. [E5][E6]
BBC reported that Peña had been impeached and placed under house arrest. Its report describes the former president’s status as both impeached and under house arrest. [E7]