The Public Prosecutor's Office of Paraguay ordered the immediate detention of the removed president Santiago Peña Palacios, as part of the investigation into alleged breach of trust and other punishable offenses linked to the Ueno Bank financial scandal.
The measure was formalized in Case No. 92/2026, titled "Santiago Peña re: breach of trust and others." The order was sent directly to the Command of the National Police, as mandatory compliance, to proceed with the capture of the former head of state.
The ruling was issued by the Economic Crimes and Anti-Corruption prosecutors Elena Fiore, Christian Benítez, and Silvia González Véster, together with the agent of the Specialized Unit on Cybercrimes and Money Laundering, Ruth Karina Benítez.
The prosecutorial team is working on the case investigating irregularities at Ueno Bank, the financial institution at the center of the scandal that prompted the opening of the file against Peña. The detention of the former President of the Republic in the Ueno Bank case was ordered after evidence of breach of trust and other punishable offenses was determined, according to the order issued by the Public Prosecutor's Office, which instructed the National Police to carry it out immediately and to apprehend the former head of state.
The prosecutorial team sent the order directly to the police force to guarantee its execution, in a proceeding that reaches the person who served as head of the Executive Branch.
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Santiago Peña. EFE/ Presidency of Paraguay
Paraguay's Public Prosecutor's Office ordered the immediate detention of ousted president Santiago Peña Palacios, as part of the investigation into alleged breach of trust and other offenses linked to the Ueno Bank financial scandal. Peña was placed under house arrest. The measure was formalized in Case No. 92/2026, titled "Santiago Peña re: breach of trust and others." The order was sent directly to the National Police Headquarters, as mandatory compliance, to proceed with the capture of the former head of state. The ruling was issued by Economic Crimes and Anti-Corruption prosecutors Elena Fiore, Christian Benítez, and Silvia González Véster, along with the agent of the Specialized Unit for Cybercrime and Money Laundering, Ruth Karina Benítez. The prosecutorial team is working on the case investigating irregularities at Ueno Bank, the financial institution at the center of the scandal that prompted the opening of the file against Peña. The detention of the former president of the Republic in the Ueno Bank case was ordered after evidence of breach of trust and other offenses was determined, according to the order issued by the Public Prosecutor's Office, which instructed the National Police to carry it out immediately and to apprehend the former head of state. The prosecutorial team sent the order directly to the police force to guarantee its execution, in a proceeding that reaches the person who served as head of the Executive Branch. In 2023, Peña declared being a shareholder of Ueno Holding valued at G. 6,144 million, shares that were later sold in April 2025. He also declared a fixed-term deposit certificate (CDA) of G. 2,400 million at Ueno and a bond from the company Itti. The investigation also points to the former head of state's family ties to Ueno's corporate structure. His brother is listed as a partner in U Holding SARL, the company through which the business group would control Ueno, according to the case file. Developing story