El Senado of Paraguay has rejected this Friday the request of the president, Santiago Peña, who had requested a 72-hour extension in order to be able to prepare his defense within the impeachment proceeding opened against him over the financial scandal related to Ueno Bank.
"The necessary votes were not gathered, so the extension time is rejected and the decision will be communicated to the president of the Republic," the president of Congress, Basilio Núñez, known as Bachi, has stated after the completion of the electronic vote.
The vote was held around 14:30 hours (local time) and the result was unfavorable for the head of state, who argued that he did not have sufficient time to articulate his defense in the framework of the 'impeachment' against him. This process was activated after the deputies rejected the resignation he submitted the previous day, a resignation that would have allowed him to retain immunity as a lifetime senator.
In a context of strong institutional tension, the Chamber of Senators has decided to continue with the impeachment proceeding, so it is expected that the head of state will be called to appear shortly, according to information from the newspaper "ABC Color".
For now, Peña has not attended the lower chamber. He considers that having less than 12 hours to organize his defense amounts to a violation of the guarantees of due process.
Lawyer Adolfo Ferreiro has pointed out that the situation "has a direct legal solution without a complex procedural framework: accept the resignation already submitted by the head of state and end the extraordinary proceeding." He has also warned that he will appeal to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights "if his removal is carried out under an irregular procedure."
The attorney has insisted that "every citizen subjected to impeachment has the constitutional right to a legitimate defense" and has explained that he assumed Peña's representation with a very limited amount of time and with limited knowledge of the case file, due to the deadlines set by the Upper Chamber.
From opposition sectors, they argue that Peña submitted his resignation with the aim of avoiding removal through impeachment and, in this way, accessing the position of lifetime senator, which would grant him parliamentary privileges and make a possible criminal case against him in the financial case more difficult.