Police in Paraguay raided the home of ex-president Santiago Pena as part of a probe into a banking crisis that triggered his dismissal from office and criminal charges against him.
Prosecutors announced in a statement that Mr. Its collapse rocked this small, normally stable country, leading to street protests. Mr. Pena is now being held in custody at a military facility. Mr. He is accused of using his influence as president to steer millions in government deposits to Ueno Bank and of hiding or downplaying its financial woes even though he was warned about questionable loans and solvency issues. Pena’s home was raided as part of the probe into the bank collapse. They say Ueno Bank received deposits from government entities even as it granted questionable loans to companies linked to Ueno executives. Mr. Pena’s mansion outside Asuncion is part of the probe. Pena, and Vice-President Pedro Alliana took his place. Mr.
Authorities last week intervened to seize Ueno Bank, a popular online lender that held accounts for nearly half of Paraguay’s 6.5 million people, plus more than $800 million in government funds. Pena, who came to power in 2023, owned shares in the bank’s holding company, Ueno Holding, until he sold them last year. The indictment says that in 2024 he received two loans from Ueno Bank totalling around $500,000 so he could build the house. His monthly mortgage payment is $38,000 — six times his monthly salary as president, the charging sheet says. The Senate voted on Friday (November 6, 2026) to dismiss Mr. Alliana said Sunday (November 8, 2026) the government has reimbursed 1.2 million Ueno Bank customers whose money was frozen in the collapse. The disbursal totals around $158 million so far, and it will continue this week, he said.
