Photo: Juan Carlos Cisneros Agence France-Prese Police officers stand guard outside the home of President Dina Boluarte during a search ordered by the Attorney General's Office as part of a preliminary investigation, in Lima, March 30, 2024.
March 30, 2024
- Americas
The residence of the President of Peru was the subject of a search authorized by the courts at the request of the Attorney General's Office.
Television footage showed government agents from an investigation team entering the residence of the country's president with a hammer on Friday evening.
Dina Boluarte has been under preliminary investigation for possession of an undisclosed collection of luxury watches since July 2021, first as Vice President and Minister of Social Inclusion, then as president in December 2022.
Initially, she claimed ownership of at least one Rolex watch as a long-time possession acquired through “personal gains” since she was 18, urging the media not to look into personal matters.
Earlier this week, Attorney General Juan Villena criticized President Boluarte's request to delay her appearance, emphasizing her obligation to cooperate with the investigation.
Political unrest is nothing new in Peru, which has had six presidents in power in the past five years. Many see Ms. Boluarte's recent statements as contradictory to her previous commitment to speaking candidly, exacerbating a political crisis stemming from her unexplained ownership of the luxury watches in question.
The attorney general stressed the president's obligation to promptly return three Rolex watches for investigation, warning against their disappearance or destruction.
Boluarte, a 61-year-old trained lawyer, rose from her post as a district official to vice president under the administration of President Pedro Castillo in July 2021. She succeeded him as president in December 2022 after the impeachment of Castillo who attempted 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 bent as it rebuffs calls for early elections and works with members of Congress on laws that threaten to undermine the independence of the Peruvian judicial system.