Paraguay impeaches Pena over banking crisis, Alliana sworn in as president

Paraguay's Senate impeached President Santiago Pena on Friday over a banking crisis that locked nearly half the country's population out of their accounts, and former Vice President Pedro Alliana was immediately sworn in as his replacement. Senators voted 44-0 to remove Pena, declaring him guilty of poor performance after the collapse of Ueno Bank, a financial institution he had links to. He was placed under house arrest minutes later, while hundreds of protesters outside Congress celebrated his removal. Alliana promised full compensation for the almost three million affected depositors. The crisis began with Ueno Bank's insolvency, triggering days of protests and the arrests of eight bank executives. Advance payments of up to $1,600 to some depositors started Thursday, with more to follow. Pena, who denied conflict of interest allegations, urged national reconciliation before his removal.