The prosecutor’s office in Paraguay announced on Monday that it has filed criminal charges against former President Santiago Peña and has requested that he be placed in pre‑trial detention. The charges relate to Peña’s alleged role in the country’s banking crisis, which has left almost three million depositors affected. Peña was removed from office by the Senate on Friday, and shortly thereafter was placed under house arrest. Prosecutor Nansi Salomon said the indictment accuses the former president of “embezzlement and management for personal benefit.” She also requested that Peña’s assets be frozen and that he be held in custody pending trial. The indictment also names former Central Bank chief Carlos Carvajal, who is charged with the same offenses. Carvajal’s assets are likewise to be seized and he is also to be detained. The banking crisis began when the Central Bank of Paraguay took control of the Ueno bank, freezing deposits, credit cards and other assets of the bank’s customers. The move, which was made in the early hours of Tuesday, halted the operations of the bank and left nearly half of the country’s adult population without access to their funds. The crisis has since evolved into a broader political controversy, with critics pointing to the rapid expansion of Ueno in recent years and the bank’s subsequent collapse.