MercoPress reported a cash safe at Ueno Bank’s headquarters held about $14,000, while Paraguayan Prosecutor Silvia González said a secured room at former President Santiago Peña’s home had no valuables.
MercoPress reported that investigators found two concealed safes at the bank. One, about 1.7 meters tall, was behind a wall in a rooftop bathroom and held documents and drinks, but no cash. The outlet said that safe was linked to Miguel Vázquez’s offices. Vázquez was the bank’s former vice president and chief executive.
Prosecutor Jorge Arce opened the second safe, which was beneath a false floor in the bathroom of Vázquez’s office. It contained about 87.1 million guaranies, worth roughly $14,000, along with documents and empty bags, MercoPress reported.
At Peña’s summer residence in San Bernardino, prosecutors opened a fortified vault Tuesday after finding it during a search on Nov. 8. González said Peña, through his lawyer, told investigators where to find the key. Peña’s defense described the room as a “panic room,” MercoPress reported. The opening followed the Nov. 8 search of Peña’s home, which EconoTimes covered after newspapers reported investigators could not access the room.
MercoPress also reported that Ueno Bank loans financed the house, which cost about 7.7 billion guaranies, or $1.25 million. MercoPress reported that the property is now administered by Senabico, the state agency that manages seized assets.
Peña has been charged with breach of trust and self-serving administration in the investigation into Ueno Bank’s collapse. He says he is innocent and has been in pretrial detention since Nov. 7, MercoPress reported. Prosecutors estimate the alleged damage at about $809 million.
Earlier EconoTimes coverage said prosecutors allege Ueno received substantial deposits from public agencies during Peña’s term and made loans they considered irregular to companies linked to Vázquez Group, the bank’s owners. MercoPress reported that Peña held shares in the bank’s controlling group until 2025.
