First modification: 11/06/2026 - 13:08 Last modification: 11/06/2026 - 14:16

The resigning president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, requested 72 hours to prepare his defense against the impeachment trial against him, arguing that he does not have enough time to review the evidence. While the head of Congress, Basilio Núñez, evaluates the request with parliamentary leaders, Asunción remains under heavy police deployment following protests over the Ueno Bank crisis. Peña formally continues in office, after the Colorado party left the session that was to discuss his resignation without a quorum.

The essentials:

Peña asks for 72 hours to prepare his defense: the resigning president requested an extension to respond to the accusatory libel, 15 pages long and accompanied by some 300 pages of annexes. He argued that he only received the notification at 10:15 p.m. the previous day and that less than 12 hours is not enough to guarantee due process.

Congress is evaluating the request in the midst of a climate of tension: the head of the Legislature, Basilio Núñez, said that he will consult with the party leaders about Peña's request. He considered the proposal on the right to defense to be valid and warned of possible judicial consequences before the IACHR if procedural guarantees are not respected.

Heavy police deployment in Asunción: the area around Congress remains under guard after protests over the intervention of Ueno Bank and the freezing of funds of more than 2.9 million clients. Peña formally continues in office, after the Colorado party left the bicameral session that was to discuss his resignation without a quorum. The future of the president is now defined within the framework of the impeachment trial.

Division in the Senate due to Santiago Peña's request for an extension to defend himself from the impeachment trial

Several Paraguayan senators rejected the 72-hour request presented by Santiago Peña to prepare his defense before the Upper House and demanded that the impeachment trial move forward this Friday. Among them, Gustavo Leite described the proposal as “chicana,” while Rubén Velázquez and Líder Amarilla maintained that the deadlines of the process do not allow extensions. Colorado's Carlos Núñez also anticipated the rejection of his party and stated that the trial must conclude with the removal of the president.

The position is not unanimous. The liberal senator Celeste Amarilla expressed her willingness to grant the requested deadline, while Lilian Samaniego demanded an urgent solution to the crisis and considered that accepting Peña's resignation would have allowed the Justice's intervention to be accelerated. For her part, opposition member Esperanza Martínez ironically commented on the Colorado ruling party's attempt to disassociate itself from political responsibility for the crisis, and deputy Rubén Rubin called on citizens to mobilize and on senators to support the trial.

Paraguay reinforces security in Congress before the impeachment trial of Santiago Peña

Since the early hours of this Friday, the National Police deployed an extensive security operation at the entrances and surroundings of Congress, in the center of Asunción, to protect the Senate session and prevent possible protests. The device is coordinated by Commissioner Francisco Ávalos, head of Prevention and Security of Asunción.

The deployment responds to the riots recorded on Thursday, when thousands of people marched to Parliament to demand the dismissal of Santiago Peña following the financial collapse of Ueno Bank. The demonstration ended with incidents and at least seven people arrested.

Paraguay begins to return the savings of Ueno Bank clients

Ueno Bank clients began to recover their deposits after the intervention of the Central Bank of Paraguay due to the entity's insolvency. In this first stage, the organization will return up to 10 million guaraníes per saver, about $1,565, while those with lower balances will receive all of their funds.

To access the money, clients must not have debts with Ueno Bank and need to have an account at another bank to receive the transfer. The return is launched in the midst of the political crisis involving President Santiago Peña, who is facing impeachment and stated that the return of deposits must continue regardless of his future in the Government.

Esperanza Martínez accuses the Government of complicity in the use of retirement funds in Ueno Bank

Opposition senator Esperanza Martínez questioned the Government of Santiago Peña for the placement of funds from the Social Security Institute (IPS) and other public funds in Ueno Bank, intervened in the midst of the financial crisis. According to the legislator, these deposits were made despite warnings about the links between political power and the banking entity.

Through his social networks, Martínez stated that while the ruling party blamed teachers and workers for the deficit of the Fiscal Fund, it allocated pension funds to the bank. The senator described the episode as “looting carried out with the complicity of the government.”

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