Santiago Peña

An MOPC account reportedly attributed statements on possible regulatory changes, long-term policy and mineral resources Paraguay could exploit to Deputy Minister Mauricio Bejarano.

Fitch kept Paraguay’s sovereign rating at BB+ with a positive outlook, citing about $1.3 billion in payment delays to suppliers and fiscal uncertainty as obstacles to investment grade.

Peña attributed the attention surrounding the Comptroller General’s Office audit of the Superintendency of Banks to commercial disputes that reached Congress and, according to press reports, to political and economic interests behind headlines in some newspapers.

Javier Giménez said he sees no conflict in relation to Juan Pablo Nogués Peña’s Conacyt role or if Atome takes a dispute with the state to international forums.

Paraguay’s business mission to the United States secured more than $1 billion in investments, including $700 million for an events center in Asunción and $200 million for the forestry sector.

The Senate voted 28 to reject Santiago Peña’s veto of the expropriation of part of a property in Nanawa to regularize an Essap water intake and treatment facility; the decision now goes to the Chamber of Deputies for review.

At a meeting in New York with Santiago Peña and the presidents of Panama and Bolivia, Benjamin Netanyahu invited the three leaders to join the initiative or alliance established between Israel and Argentina in April 2026 and support a U.S. initiative calling on countries to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant over alleged crimes related to Gaza.

Organizer José Ocampos announced a public forum on Taiwan for September 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the Catholic University of Asunción. Taiwan’s ambassador, Iván Yueh-Jung Lee, is expected to attend, according to the announcement.

During the UN General Assembly in New York, Santiago Peña met with the U.S. Southern Command chief to assess joint efforts against narcoterrorism and defense cooperation. The president also reaffirmed Paraguay’s participation in the A3C and took part in security meetings and an investment agenda that included a US$200 million forestry project announcement.

Decrees signed by Santiago Peña set hydrogen tariffs of US$30 to US$32 per MWh, close to the US$30 requested by Atome. The company’s manager, Juan Pablo Nogués Peña, is the president’s cousin and represented the Ministry of Industry on Conacyt; the documents examined do not prove that he influenced the decisions.

Pedro Alliana and Horacio Cartes reaffirmed unity in the Colorado Party and prioritized the October 4 municipal elections, while the choice of its 2028 presidential ticket remains undecided.

In New York, Santiago Peña announced a US$200 million investment by J.P. Morgan Natural Capital and Grupo Robinson in Paraguay’s forestry sector, aligned with the Paraguay 2X plan, after a meeting at the bank’s headquarters. The project is expected to transfer technical expertise to local private-sector businesses.

Governors from the 15 Colorado Party administrations in the G15, which received 1.6 trillion guaraníes between January and August, demanded evidence for Carlos Núñez’s accusations over Hambre Cero funds and criticized the vulgarity of his remarks. They defended the role of the departments as Honor Colorado leaders discuss the 2028 ticket and say the movement is united.

I Love Paraguay, a restaurant founded in Queens in 2007, received the first international Marca País Paraguay license from President Santiago Peña, authorizing it to officially represent the country abroad.

Paraguay's Presidency denied a theft at the official residence, Mburuvicha Róga, while unofficial sources confirmed an internal investigation into lock tampering. Senator Filizzola demanded clarity on the origin of the cash and criticized the diplomatic meeting between Santiago Peña and Delcy Rodríguez.

Paraguay’s Court of Appeals overturned the statute-of-limitations ruling and reactivated the embezzlement case against Senator Rafael Filizzola in the “Comisarías de Oro” case, ordering the file returned to the intermediate stage after finding procedural inactivity that was not attributable exclusively to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

At the 81st UN General Assembly, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña demanded immediate Security Council reform, reaffirmed diplomatic alignment with Taiwan, and requested the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb. He also detailed his strategy for Venezuela, coordinated with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and discussed his participation in the hemispheric initiative Shield of the Americas.

Roberto González (ANR) threatened to seek the impeachment of BCP President Carlos Carvallo Spalding, also spelled Carlos Cavallo Spalding, unless questions about Ueno, the custody of public funds and possible conflicts of interest are clarified. He also challenged the “neopeñistas” to defend the government of Santiago Peña’s actions.

Allies in Honor Colorado disagree over the 2028 presidential ticket and Santiago Peña’s political standing, as Beto Ovelar calls for unity and focus on municipal elections, Basilio Núñez defends Cartes’s leadership and Peña’s integration into the movement, César “Landy” Torres cites the support of 15 governors and 35 lawmakers, and Juan Carlos Galaverna proposes considering a “third way” guided by the collective interest.

The Senate gave the Central Bank of Paraguay 15 days to explain the concentration of public funds at Ueno Bank, accounting discrepancies, transactions with related companies and the handling of an internal memorandum, while the Paraguayan Banking Association calls for transparency and uniform application of the rules.

The opening of the Integration Bridge is advancing in stages, while about 7,500 trucks have already traveled through the corridor and the Paraguayan access route to the International Friendship Bridge has potholes along approximately four kilometers of Ruta PY02.

Santiago Peña met in New York with businesspeople Santiago Jariton, María Bertha Peroni and Daniel Hiller, described as driving one of the most important entertainment and urban-development projects in Paraguay’s history, to present a complex on Asunción’s Costanera Norte with an arena, event center, hotel and shopping mall aimed at Paraguay and the region, with construction expected to begin in early 2027 and backing from the government and the Municipality of Asunción.

Santiago Peña and Delcy Rodríguez have opened talks in Caracas on restoring diplomatic relations. The move follows the 2025 rupture and combines security, economic and migration interests with a domestic debate over Paraguay’s position on Venezuela’s democratic institutions and human-rights situation.

Senator Rafael Filizzola accused Santiago Peña of using Ueno to make poor deals with state funds and IPS contributors’ money, with possible effects on health care and retirement, as well as supplying energy at low prices and ignoring warnings about the bank.