{
  "id": 18596535,
  "title": "Paraguayan President Pena impeached over banking crisis",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/paraguayan-president-pena-impeached-over-banking-crisis",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-06T23:46:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2026/11/1572546/paraguayan-president-pena-impeached-over-banking-crisis"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Paraguayan President Santiago Pena was impeached on Friday by senators over the collapse of Ueno Bank, which left nearly half of the population without access to their accounts. The bank's failure triggered widespread protests, with around three million people unable to access their money since the Central Bank took control on Tuesday. Pena had resigned over the disaster but refused to attend the impeachment trial, citing his desire to defend himself. The Senate declared him guilty of poor performance in his duties by a vote of 44 in favor with one absence. Advance payments to affected depositors began on Thursday afternoon, with first-phase aid of up to $1,600 going to those without loans or accounts at other banks. Ueno Bank, initially a fintech company focusing on low-income customers, grew rapidly, handling state pensions and state entities' accounts. The opposition accuses Pena of a conflict of interest, which he denies. The US Embassy expressed solidarity with the Paraguayan people. Eight Ueno executives were arrested, and prosecutors raided ITTI, a subsidiary of Pena's former company Grupo Vazquez. The scandal has shaken the stable South American country, leading Vice-President Pedro Alliana to take over Pena's mandate until 2028.",
  "summary": "ASUNCION: Paraguayan senators on Friday voted to impeach President Santiago Pena over the collapse of a major bank that locked almost half the population out of their accounts and triggered widespread protests.",
  "key_points": [
    "Paraguayan President Santiago Pena impeached for Ueno Bank collapse",
    "Nearly half of population without access to accounts after bank failure",
    "Senate declares Pena guilty of poor performance by 44-1 vote"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The removal of the president signals a profound loss of institutional trust as a massive banking failure exposes deep-seated conflicts of interest within the nation's financial leadership.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CBC News",
        "title": "Ousted Paraguayan president placed under house arrest",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/ousted-paraguayan-president-placed-under-house-arrest",
        "published": "2026-11-07T00:17:06.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}