Peru: search of President Boluarte's home amid scandal over Rolex watches
The home of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte was searched shortly after midnight on Saturday as part of an investigation into illicit enrichment involving luxury watches that she is suspected of not having declared as part of her assets. The government headquarters was also searched.
Peruvian police officers leaving the home of President Dina Boluarte after a search, March 30, 2024. © JUAN CARLOS CISNEROS / AFP
By: RFI with AFP
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In a brief message on the X network, the
Peruvian
presidency indicated that the operation at the government headquarters had taken place “
normally and without incident
”. Police entered the house of
Dina Boluarte
, in Surquillo, east of Lima, shortly after midnight, after forcing the door with an iron bar, according to television images. Other footage shows police surround his home and form a human barrier to prevent car traffic from adjacent streets.
According to a police document, to which AFP had access, around forty agents and magistrates were mobilized “
with the aim of searching the house and seizing the Rolex watches
”. The government headquarters was raided a few hours later.
Peruvian Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzén (center-right) denounced to the press “
an intolerable attack on the dignity of the Presidency of the Republic and the nation it represents
”. “
We, the members of the government, denounce these political actions which aim to destabilize, through the president, the institutions of the country, and which clearly prove that there is an unbearable exploitation of justice on the part in particular of those who manage organized crime
,” he added on Peruvian radio RPP. According to the government, at the time of the searches, Dina Boluarte was in her residence within the Government Palace.
The president will continue to “
collaborate with the prosecutor's office
” indicated Gustavo Adrianzén on X. The Prime Minister also affirmed that Dina Boluarte would not leave her functions, while in the opposition, calls for her resignation are increasing.
It is a serious political noise that is haciendo, that affects the inversions throughout the country. What happened in the final hours was its disproportionate and unconstitutional actions.
— Gustavo Adrianzén (@SPCM_Peru) March 30, 2024
The police intervention was carried out at the request of the public prosecutor after the prosecution rejected Dina Boluarte's request to postpone an appearance during which she was to present her watch collection and proof of purchase. In the event of prosecution, the Peruvian president cannot, under the Constitution, be subject to trial before July 2026, the date of the end of her mandate.
Photos with different Rolexes
The Rolex scandal erupted after a local news site,
La Encerrona
, published a series of photos on March 15 showing Dina Boluarte sporting different luxury watches while in government in 2021 and 2022. The 19 March, the public prosecutor's office announced the opening of a preliminary investigation for "
illicit enrichment and non-declaration of use of Rolex watches
".
In the process, Dina Boluarte assured that she had “
clean hands
” and only owned one watch, an older model purchased with her savings. “
I entered the Government Palace with clean hands and I will leave with clean hands, as I promised the Peruvian people
,” she said.
The president, aged 61, is already the subject of an investigation for “
genocide, aggravated homicide and serious injury
” after the death of more than 50 people during the two months of social unrest which accompanied her accession to the head of State. Dina Boluarte became president after the impeachment in early December 2022 and the arrest of left-wing head of state Pedro Castillo, of whom she was vice-president.
Read alsoPeru: the prosecution demands 34 years in prison against ex-president Castillo
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