2024-03-30T09:06:08+00:00
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/ Television images swept Peru late Friday of government agents from an investigation team storming the residence of President Dina Boluarte with a sledgehammer in a raid authorized by the judiciary at the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
President Dina Bolwarti has been subject to a preliminary investigation for possessing an undeclared collection of luxury watches since she came to power in July 2021 as Vice President and Minister of Social Inclusion, then as President in December 2022.
She initially claimed ownership of at least one Rolex watch as antique property acquired through “personal gain” since the age of 18, and urged the media not to delve into personal matters.
Earlier in the week, Public Prosecutor Juan Villena criticized Boluarte’s request to postpone her court appearance for two weeks, stressing her commitment to cooperate with the investigation, according to the Associated Press.
According to a police document obtained by Agence France-Presse, about 40 officers participated in the raid, searching for Rolex watches that Bolorati had not declared.
Police said the raid “is for the purpose of search and seizure.”
Political turmoil is not new in Peru, which has seen six presidents in the past five years, but many see Boluarte’s recent statements as contradicting her previous pledge to speak honestly to prosecutors, exacerbating the political crisis caused by her unjustified ownership of Rolex watches.
The Public Prosecutor stressed Bolwarti’s commitment to bring the three Rolex watches urgently for investigation, warning against throwing them away or destroying them.
Boluarte, a 61-year-old lawyer, rose from a humble district official to vice president under President Pedro Castillo in July 2021, and then assumed the presidency in December 2022 after Castillo was removed following his attempt to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.
At least 49 people were killed in the protests that followed.
Critics accuse Boluarte’s government of taking an increasingly authoritarian approach as it avoids calls for early elections and works with members of Congress on laws that threaten to undermine the independence of Peru’s judicial system.