Paraguayan president removed from office after Senate impeachment vote

ASUNCION - Paraguay's Senate on Friday voted unanimously to remove President Santiago Pena from office following an impeachment trial over alleged misconduct linked to the collapse of Ueno Bank, with all 44 senators present voting in favor.

Pena faced accusations of conflicts of interest involving the private bank, regulatory manipulation and misuse of pension funds.

Pena submitted his resignation Thursday amid a crisis triggered by the authorities' intervention in Ueno Bank, apparently seeking to avoid impeachment. The Senate voted 24-20 against his resignation, but a joint session of Congress failed to complete the process as lawmakers' walk-out left the Chamber of Deputies without a quorum.

The Chamber of Deputies had separately approved impeachment charges against Pena, paving the way for the Senate trial.

Under Paraguay's Constitution, democratically elected former presidents are entitled to lifetime seats in the Senate and parliamentary immunity, unless convicted in impeachment trials. Pena's removal therefore deprives him of these privileges.