More than US$800 million in public money, a US$2 million mansion and a secret Israeli biometric vault: the scandal that brought down Paraguay's President

Citations & source document

1. [1]UPI — Mar Puig — Paraguay prosecutors consider blasting open ex-president's vaultThe false wall and the vaultThe vault was found on Sunday behind a false wall at Peña's San Bernardino property, about 30 miles from Asunción. Prosecutor Christian Benítez said investigators opened the first security door but met a second barrier. According to information gathered during the investigation, the system is reportedly Israeli-made and includes facial or iris recognition, a fingerprint reader, a personal identification number and keys.
2. [2]MercoPress — Hidden armoured vault found in a Peña home built with Ueno Bank loansThe false wall and the vaultCiting ABC Color and Última Hora: a concealed door in one of the rooms leads through a corridor to an armoured vault with a “level 7” system requiring facial or iris recognition, a fingerprint, a PIN code and security keys. The Prosecutor's Office confirmed the search, “although its statement did not mention the vault”. The house cost about 7.7 billion guaraníes to build. On 13 May 2024 Peña received two simultaneous loans totalling 3.548 billion guaraníes, with instalments of some 239 million guaraníes, almost six times his salary. Prosecutors estimate total damage in the case at US$809.5 million. Members of the Presidential Escort Regiment were still guarding the property.
3. [3]Infobae — La misteriosa bóveda en la mansión de Santiago Peña que la policía no pudo abrirThe false wall and the vaultThe search began shortly before 19:00 in Ciervo Cuá, led by prosecutors Christian Benítez, Silvia González and Elena Fiore. Images released by the Prosecutor's Office and ABC Color show a corridor leading from one of the rooms to an armoured door. ABC described a “level 7” system needing at least four mechanisms: facial or iris recognition, fingerprint, numeric code and multilock-type keys. A separate video from the construction stage shows the entry system and the vault's interior, still empty, with brick openings that let in daylight.
4. [4]Última Hora — Caso ueno bank: allanan mansión de Santiago Peña en San BernardinoThe loans and the houseThe search of the US$2 million residence formed part of the investigation into Peña and the former Central Bank president Carlos Carvallo. The Ministerio Público said the procedure followed Peña's charge for alleged breach of trust, as instigator, and administration for personal gain, as perpetrator. Early information indicated a vault with an advanced security system.
5. [5]ABC Color — ¿Detonarán la bóveda o llevarán a Santi Peña para abrirla? Las opciones de la FiscalíaOptions for entryA controlled detonation, bringing the former First Lady Leticia Ocampos, or the help of other relatives are among the options. Benítez said only the first door had been opened and specialists would be consulted. On bringing Peña to the house: “De momento, (llevar a Peña) todavía no es una de las opciones que estamos analizando.” The system “incluiría reconocimiento de iris”.
6. [6]Radio Ñandutí (RDN) — Jhonny Garay — Fiscalía evalúa detonar bóveda de Peña en San BernardinoOptions for entryBenítez said no final decision had been taken on how to enter and that any procedure would need specialist assessment. He said the structure could also function as a safe room or panic room. A swimming pool sits above the vault and the house is built on raised ground, factors to be weighed before any intervention.
7. [7]La FM (Colombia) — Juan Camilo Cely — Apareció una misteriosa bóveda con sistema de seguridad israelíOptions for entryBenítez: “Estamos analizando la posibilidad de armar una detonación controlada, si es que no hay otra manera de abrir.” Bringing Ocampos could be simpler than moving Peña himself.
8. [8]Infobae — La Fiscalía evalúa detonar la bóveda secreta de Peña o llevar a la primera dama para que la abraOptions for entryAt a press conference on Monday prosecutor Silvia González said the vault is “de gran complejidad” and “se abrirá con el equipo adecuado”. Investigators also found computers, other devices and documents that “podrían ser importantes”. The search resumed at 07:00.
9. [9]El Nacional (Paraguay) — Bóveda oculta en la mansión de Peña: Fiscalía busca acceder a estructura blindadaThe false wall and the vaultThe search began on 8 November and ran past midnight without access to the compartment. Investigators are seeking to identify the company responsible for installing it. Its contents are unknown.
10. [10]ABC Digital (@ABCDigital), via Primicias / EFE — ABC Digital on X: the entrance to the vaultThe false wall and the vault“La comitiva fiscal-policial llegó hasta la segunda puerta de la bóveda … que se encuentra detrás de una pared falsa equipada y cuenta con un sofisticado sistema de seguridad de procedencia israel[í].” Primicias published the post alongside a Fiscalía photograph distributed by EFE.
11. [11]ABC TV Paraguay — Bóveda oculta tras una pared falsa en la mansión de Santiago PeñaThe false wall and the vaultABC's 13-second clip of the concealed entrance. ABC TV's first alert that night said the vault “tendría un sistema de seguridad israelí y lectura de iris”, attributing it to the prosecutors at the scene.
12. [12]Teleamazonas — Melany Oñate — Fiscalía halla bóveda oculta en vivienda de Santiago Peña por caso Ueno BankThe loans and the houseThe two May 2024 loans came to about US$577,000; monthly instalments of about US$38,880 were equivalent to six times his presidential pay, according to the charge. The Ministerio Público is investigating whether he intervened in decisions on placing public and pension funds in the bank.
13. [13]EFE, via SWI swissinfo.ch — La Fiscalía de Paraguay pide prisión preventiva contra Santiago Peña por el caso Ueno bankRemoval and chargesPeña was detained on Friday shortly after being found guilty in an impeachment trial for “mal desempeño de funciones”. Ueno had 2.94 million customers. Benítez said the offences in their aggravated form carry up to 10 years in prison. Deputy prosecutor Nancy Salomón said Peña had exercised his constitutional right to defend himself in his statement.
14. [14]Infobae (agencies) — La fiscalía de Paraguay imputa al expresidente Peña y pide prisión provisionalRemoval and chargesThe Ministerio Público is investigating “presuntas irregularidades en la colocación de recursos públicos y previsionales en Ueno Bank S.A., así como con los mecanismos de supervisión y control”. Carvallo is charged with breach of trust, producing public documents with false content and administration for personal gain. Between 2023 and 2026 the bank allegedly received large deposits from public and pension bodies while lending to companies linked to its own group.
15. [15]BBC News Mundo — Norberto Paredes — De qué se acusa a Santiago PeñaRemoval and chargesCongress removed Peña on Friday for poor performance of his duties and swore in Pedro Alliana. On 22 November 2023, three months after Peña took office, the Central Bank authorised Financiera Ueno to become a bank; Carlos Carvallo, appointed by Peña, had headed the Central Bank since September 2023. Inaugural address: “Considero que la mejor política social que existe es el crecimiento económico sostenido.”
16. [16]Reuters — Daniela Desantis and Brendan O'Boyle, via Investing.com — How a digital bank's collapse toppled Paraguay's presidentRemoval and chargesOver five days ueno collapsed, freezing the savings of nearly 3 million customers in a country of 6.5 million. Peña was impeached after attempting to resign. “Peña has denied wrongdoing and his attorney, Ricardo Preda, told journalists that he was pleading not guilty.” Until March 2025 Peña had been a business partner of the group that owns ueno. Senator Rafael Filizzola: “We are facing the biggest corruption scandal in our democratic history.”
17. [17]La Tercera — Roberto Martínez — Defensa de Peña cuestiona prisión preventiva y descarta responsabilidad del exmandatarioPeña's positionRicardo Preda: “El presidente no es quien directamente le dice a un ministro a qué banco hacer su depósito o a una institución equis. Eso cada uno decide en base a sus reparticiones técnicas.” He called pretrial detention unnecessary. Peña is held at the Regimiento Escolta Presidencial.
18. [18]El Trueno — Preda y Ferreiro defienden a Peña en el SenadoPeña's positionThe defence told the Senate the accusation identified no rule broken and no illegal order signed by Peña. Preda: “Un recorte periodístico no es una prueba.” He said Peña sold his indirect stake linked to the bank in April 2025 and that the operations under investigation took place after that date.
19. [19]El Litoral — La defensa de Peña pidió anular el juicio políticoPeña's positionThe defence argued that Peña's resignation barred the trial from continuing; Adolfo Ferreiro reserved the right to go to the Supreme Court and international human rights bodies. Preda acknowledged savers and pensioners deserved answers but objected to attributing to Peña decisions of the Central Bank and IPS.
20. [20]ABC Color — Ueno Bank revela cuánto realmente tiene IPS en el banco vinculado al presidente PeñaState and pension depositsUeno Bank president Juan Manuel Gustale confirmed Peña was a shareholder in Ueno Holding, having bought shares in Credicentro in 2018 before it changed name; the holding and the bank share the same principal shareholder, Grupo Vázquez, and nearly the same board. He denied Peña held shares in the bank itself. IPS then had US$78 million in the bank, including US$32 million in bonds.
21. [21]ABC Color — Nadia Cano — Ueno Bank: IPS abrió proceso de protección de sus fondos ante el BCPState and pension depositsIPS, the social security institute, registered as a privileged creditor with an estimated exposure of US$355 million, about 9% of its investment portfolio. It said pensions and the year-end bonus were guaranteed.
22. [22]Canal 26, citing ABC Color and Treasury records — Ueno Bank habría recibido 850 millones de dólares en fondos públicosState and pension depositsBased on documents from the Treasury of the Ministry of Economy and Finance reported by ABC Color: state and pension deposits peaked at US$862 million in July 2026, about US$835 million in August and about US$855 million in September.
23. [23]EFE, via Infobae — Fondos públicos: el mayor quebradero de cabezas tras intervención de Ueno bankState and pension depositsState institutions had about US$800 million deposited, mostly pension money; the Ministry of Economy, Itaipú and at least five pension funds including IPS are named. By 31 August 2025 Ueno was the largest recipient of state dollar funds (24.5%) and second in guaraníes (18.7%), according to the charge sheet. End-September total: about 3.6 trillion guaraníes plus US$233.4 million, roughly US$810 million. Economist Víctor Raúl Benítez puts it at US$864 million.
24. [24]DW — Maricel Drazer — Ueno Bank scandal plunges Paraguay into political crisisRemoval and chargesOn 3 November the Central Bank began resolution procedures after finding Ueno had breached minimum solvency requirements. Prosecutors opened three investigations and 27 people had been charged. Peña tendered his resignation on 5 November; Congress did not accept it and both chambers voted unanimously to impeach. Ueno, part of Grupo Vázquez, launched in 2021.
25. [25]WION, with AFP — Paraguay's ex-President Santiago Peña's mansion raidedRemoval and chargesA handout image released by the Attorney General's Office showed officials searching the residence. Peña is accused of using presidential influence to direct government deposits to Ueno and of concealing or playing down its difficulties despite warnings; these are accusations.
26. [26]C9N Paraguay (YouTube) — Fiscalía halla bóveda oculta en mansión de Santiago PeñaBroadcast reportsLive report from the gate of the property as prosecutors were expected to return. The reporter says the steel door had “a security level of seven” and raises whether a judge might order Peña brought to the house.
27. [27]El Universal (YouTube) — Hallan bóveda secreta en lujosa residencia del expresidente de ParaguayBroadcast reportsSummary package using images ABC TV published on X; notes that ABC Color first reported the property in January 2025.
28. [28]Norte TV (YouTube) — Paraguay: investigan a Santiago Peña y buscan abrir una misteriosa bóvedaBroadcast reportsInterview with Paraguayan journalist Juan Jara on the political situation after Pedro Alliana's swearing-in and the search for the vault.
29. [29]Presidencia de la República del Ecuador, via Wikimedia Commons — Santiago Peña junio 2026 (photograph)How this was reportedOfficial photograph of President Santiago Peña receiving Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa at the LXVIII Mercosur summit in Asunción. Released into the public domain by the Ecuadorian presidency.

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