LIMA (Reuters) – Peru has experienced political turmoil with six presidents since 2018, and current president Dina Boluarte is facing calls to resign amidst questions about her collection of Rolex watches. Boluarte is under investigation for illicit enrichment for owning luxury watches without being able to prove their origin. Over Easter weekend, police and prosecutors conducted raids on her home and office in search of evidence.
Boluarte assumed office in 2022 after her predecessor was impeached for attempting to close congress illegally. Her term began with protests and a subsequent crackdown that resulted in numerous fatalities. Despite widespread demands for her resignation or early elections, Boluarte has continued to hold her position but is now facing renewed pressure to step down due to the scandal.
In a televised address to the nation, Boluarte criticized the raid as “abusive” and stated that she intends to serve until 2026. Congress has initiated steps towards impeaching her.
WHAT’S THE ROLEX SCANDAL?
In March, a popular political Youtube show called “La Encerrona” analyzed thousands of photos of Boluarte and discovered that she wore multiple Rolex watches valued between $14,000 and $25,000. On March 18, Peru’s prosecutor’s office announced “preliminary proceedings” against Boluarte for alleged “illicit enrichment” and failure to declare ownership of the expensive watches in official documents.
WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE RAID?
On Good Friday, dozens of prosecutors and police officers arrived at Boluarte’s residence near midnight to execute a search warrant. Prosecutors had requested the watches from Boluarte, but they were not submitted, and the raid uncovered “elements of interest” for the investigation.
Local media outlets shared documents from the raid which revealed at least one Rolex watch, a Datejust 36 model with a purchase date of July 8, 2023. Additionally, eight lower-priced watches from other brands were found in the Government Palace. Boluarte’s salary as president is around $4,200, with expenses and housing covered by the state.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Boluarte’s defense team initially requested a postponement of the president’s testimony, but now they are asking for her to provide a statement on Friday, April 5 due to the “political turbulence” generated by the case. Left-wing opposition lawmakers presented a motion in Congress on Monday to initiate Boluarte’s impeachment for “permanent moral incapacity.”
It only requires 26 out of 130 legislators to begin the impeachment process, while 52 votes are needed to debate impeachment in Congress and 87 to impeach. Despite surviving two previous attempts at impeachment, Boluarte is now facing increased pressure. Six of her ministers, including the interior minister, resigned on Monday over the scandal.
WHAT HAPPENED TO PERU’S OTHER PRESIDENTS?
Peru’s political landscape is deeply divided, and the constitution allows for presidents to be impeached due to “moral incapacity,” a subjective criteria that has been used to remove several former leaders. Over the past three decades, nearly all high-ranking officials or former presidents in Peru have faced investigations by the prosecution or have been implicated in corruption cases.
Following his election in 2016, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned before facing a likely conviction after being impeached in 2018 during a corruption scandal. His vice president, Martin Vizcarra, then assumed office but was also impeached for “permanent moral incapacity” related to corruption charges in 2020. Subsequently, Manuel Merino served as president for just five days before resigning following two protest deaths in Lima.
Francisco Sagasti then held power for a year until leftist outsider Pedro Castillo was elected in 2021, only to be impeached in December for attempting to dissolve congress. Castillo is currently detained in the same prison as another former president, Alejandro Toledo, along with former President Alberto Fujimori, who was released in December after a pardon.
(Report by Marco Aquino and Reuters Television; Editing by Alexander Villegas and Alistair Bell)
