Peña skips Senate impeachment trial as Paraguay reels from Ueno bank collapse

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay (AP) — Paraguayan President Santiago Peña failed to appear for his impeachment trial in the Senate on Friday despite vowing to defend himself in person, as lawmakers moved toward a verdict that could remove him from office over the dramatic collapse of a bank tied to his administration.Senators voted 39-3 to reject Peña’s request for another 72 hours to prepare his defense. He said he received the summons only hours before the session, along with some 300 pages of accusations and evidence, which left him no time to review the case. Presidents impeached in recent years in other countries, including the United States and Brazil, have had weeks to prepare.Peña is accused of using his political influence to steer hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds into the bank while allowing regulators to overlook its financial irregularities.His lawyers, Ricardo Preda and Adolfo Ferreiro, argued that senators should have accepted the resignation he submitted to the Senate