2024-04-02 20:47:11
This Saturday, the Peruvian police raided the home and presidential office of In Boluarte, in the framework of an investigation into alleged illicit enrichment due to Rolex watches that the president had not declared as part of her assets.
In the early morning a group of uniformed officers and prosecutors broke into Boluarte’s house, in the east of Lima, after knocking down the door with an iron bar, according to television images.
Later, the agents arrived at the presidential palace and searched the office of the president, who was there at the time of the operation, as confirmed by the government.
“The president’s private home has been raided (…) Once the procedure is over (…) they have come to the government palace with the same purposes,” Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzén told the press.
The authorities carried out the search in search of the luxury watches whose origin the president has not clarified.
Although the prosecution has not revealed whether it found the jewelry or other evidence, Boluarte’s defense assured that the police found some watches in his room inside the government headquarters.
“They did not take them, it was confirmed and they took photographs. There were approximately 10, within that number there were some nice watches, but I cannot say how many were Rolex brands,” lawyer Mateo Castañeda told RPP radio.
Boluarte, who assumed the presidency in December 2022, began to be investigated on March 18 for the alleged crime of illicit enrichment and failure to record statements in public documents.
According to the press, the head of state plans to address a message to the nation this Saturday.
New summons
The raids were authorized by the Supreme Court of Preparatory Investigation, presided over by Supreme Judge Juan Carlos Checkley, at the request of the Attorney General.
The prime minister severely criticized the operations against Boluarte.
“We consider the action that has been taken to be absolutely disproportionate, unjustified and, if not illegal and unconstitutional,” said Adrianzén.
The 61-year-old president was summoned on Friday by the prosecutor’s office to give her statement, after having requested the rescheduling of the procedure that was scheduled last week.
“We are sure that in the course of the investigation it will be definitively clarified that there is no type of responsibility for the alleged crimes that are being investigated,” said Adrianzén.
If the prosecution accuses her of illicit enrichment, Boluarte would only respond in a possible trial after July 2026 when her term ends, as established by the Constitution.
The scandal, however, could lead to a request for Boluarte’s vacancy (dismissal) from Congress alleging “moral incapacity.”
For this to happen, the right-wing groups that control the unicameral parliament and are the president’s main support will have to support the minority left-wing groups in an alliance that is, in theory, difficult to achieve.
“Clean hands”
The Rolex scandal broke out after a report by the journalistic program “La Encerrona” in mid-March.
The media revealed that Boluarte had worn several watches from the luxury brand in official activities since she became vice president of the government of former President Pedro Castillo and Minister of Development and Social Inclusion in 2021.
The period analyzed by the program runs until December 2022, the month in which he assumed the presidency.
In his only reaction so far, Boluarte only referred to a Rolex “from yesteryear” and said that he had obtained it with the “effort” of his work.
“I have entered the Government Palace with clean hands and I will leave with clean hands,” Boluarte declared in recent days.
As a result of the scandal, the Comptroller’s Office of the Republic announced that it would once again review the asset declarations that Boluarte presented in the last two years in search of any possible asset imbalance.
The prosecution is already investigating Boluarte for the alleged crimes of “genocide, qualified homicide and serious injuries”, in a case opened last year for the death of more than 50 citizens “during social mobilizations between December 2022 and January 2023” .
With a popularity of just 10% in the polls, the Peruvian president lacks her own bench in Congress.
Boluarte was vice president until she assumed the presidency on December 7, 2022 after Congress removed leftist President Pedro Castillo for his attempt to dissolve Parliament and govern by decree.
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2024-04-02 20:47:11