BUENOS AIRES, November 7. /TASS/. The Chamber of Senators (the upper house) of the Congress of Paraguay has voted to impeach President Santiago Pena over his connection to the collapse of Ueno Bank, which triggered a political and financial crisis after access to 3 million accounts was frozen.

"44 votes were cast in favor of issuing a guilty verdict; one senator was absent. According to the voting results, the accused Santiago Pena Palacios is found guilty of improper performance of his official duties and, as a result, is removed from the office of president of the Republic of Paraguay by law," said Chairman Basilio Nunez.

The meeting was broadcast on the YouTube channel of the upper house.

Nunez also convened an extraordinary session of both houses of parliament for the next hour to take the oath of office as head of state from Vice President Pedro Allana.

On October 5, the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house) voted to launch the impeachment process against Pena. Supporters of his removal from power accuse the former president of a conflict of interest due to his alleged ties with Ueno Bank. Pena said he was resigning during the meeting, but the lack of a quorum prevented Congress from holding a vote to accept or reject it.

Under the constitution, all former presidents become life senators, except in cases of their impeachment.

On November 1, the Central Bank imposed external administration on Ueno Bank, freezing its 3 million accounts. The population of Paraguay stands at about 7 million people.