A search of Ueno Bank’s headquarters in Asunción uncovered two safes, including one concealed behind a false wall. (Foto: Instagram)
A search at the headquarters of Ueno Bank in Asunción, Paraguay, uncovered two safes, including one concealed behind a wall near a bathroom. Prosecutor Silvio Corbeta said authorities had gone to the site to look for documents when they noticed something unusual.
The concealed safe was behind what investigators described as a false wall. The Paraguayan newspaper ABC reported that opening its first door took several hours. Work was halted and was expected to resume Tuesday, Nov. 10, to open a second door. The other safe was opened, and investigators found documents inside, but they have not disclosed what the documents contain.
Investigators also found a hidden safe at the home of former President Santiago Peña. Its door is concealed behind a secret passage and a false wall, and access is protected by four security stages. The safe uses Israeli technology and requires access codes, multiple checks and the owner’s iris recognition. Investigators have not yet been able to open it.
Ueno was one of Paraguay’s largest banks, with about 3 million customers. The Central Bank of Paraguay declared it insolvent and suspended its operations on Nov. 3. The decision followed regulators’ discovery of poorly documented loans to companies linked to the bank’s owners.
