Paraguay's Congress Removes President Santiago Peña, Who Is Placed Under House Arrest
Paraguay's Congress removed Santiago Peña from the presidency on November 6, 2026, a day after he submitted his resignation. Congress did not accept or vote on the resignation. It instead pursued impeachment proceedings, known in Paraguay as juicio político, a parliamentary procedure for removing a sitting president from office.
Peña was detained at his home on the night of Friday, November 6, hours after his removal, and placed under house arrest, which requires a person to remain at their residence while the case proceeds. BBC Mundo reported the house arrest.
The removal followed a banking crisis. According to DW, the crisis left millions of people unable to access their deposits. The collapse of Ueno Bank sits at the center of the case against Peña.
On November 7, Paraguay's Fiscalía, the public prosecutor's office, requested prisión preventiva, or pretrial detention, for Peña, who is now a former president. Prosecutors accused Peña and former BCP chief Carlos Carvallo of covering up a financial collapse in order to benefit Ueno with public funds. La Política Online reported that the two allegedly allowed Ueno to keep taking in deposits until the day the bank was closed.
On November 8, the Fiscalía carried out a search (allanamiento) of Peña's property in San Bernardino in connection with the Ueno Bank case, according to the Ministerio Público.
Following his impeachment and arrest, Peña was charged with breach of trust and with administration for personal gain, according to Reuters.
