Paraguay's ousted president placed under house arrest after bank collapse
Paraguay's ousted president Santiago Peña was placed under house arrest Friday on charges of breach of trust and influence peddling, following his Senate removal over the collapse of Ueno Bank, which froze savings for nearly half the country's six million people. All 44 senators voted to impeach Peña, making him the second Paraguayan president removed this way since 1989. He faces up to 10 years in prison for allegedly steering public funds into Ueno while regulators ignored risky lending. Vice-President Pedro Alliana was sworn in as his successor. The bank's seizure triggered Paraguay's worst political crisis in over a decade, with protests erupting in Asunción. Peña denies wrongdoing, while his former mentor Horacio Cartes led the political backlash that sealed his downfall.