Prosecutors in Paraguay on Saturday charged recently deposed former President Santiago Peña with two crimes linked to the collapse of a major bank that has jeopardized the savings of hundreds of thousands of account holders and unleashed the nation’s biggest political crisis in a decade.
Prosecutors said the former president could face up to 20 years in prison if he is found guilty of both crimes and have asked a judge to freeze Peña’s assets and send him to prison while investigations continue. On Tuesday, regulators in Paraguay intervened in Ueno Bank, freezing the accounts of nearly 3 million customers and triggering a political crisis that led to Peña’s removal by Congress on Friday night.
In a press conference Saturday, Nancy Salomón, the South American nation’s chief prosecutor for corruption and economic crimes, said Peña would be investigated for the crimes of breach of trust and administration for personal gain. Later on Saturday, Paraguayan Judge Humberto Otazu complied with that request and said Peña will be held at a military base as investigations continue, in order to “guarantee his compliance” with the anti-corruption probe.
The former president was not in handcuffs but was escorted by police. Earlier on Saturday, Peña was questioned by prosecutors at the Attorney General’s compound, in the capital Asuncion.
The Central Bank said Saturday that 1.2 million Ueno customers had received partial or full reimbursement of their deposits. Under Paraguayan law, deposits of up to $37,000 are insured. The arrest order was issued soon after the Senate removed Peña from office in a unanimous vote.
Some of the protesters said they also want Paraguay’s new president, who was a close ally of Peña, to be investigated. He was replaced by Vice President Pedro Alliana, who began naming a new Cabinet on Saturday.
