Across Peru, government officials were shown on television carrying sledgehammers breaking into the presidential palace.
Late Friday, government agents from the investigation team were shown on television entering the presidential palace with sledgehammers in a raid authorized by law enforcement authorities at the request of the attorney general's office.
Dina Bolarte took over the government in July 2021 as vice president and minister of social inclusion, and since becoming president in December 2022, a preliminary investigation has been launched for allegedly owning an undisclosed collection of luxury watches. is recieving.
Initially, she claimed ownership of at least one Rolex was a longtime possession she had acquired through “personal interest” since the age of 18, and urged the media not to delve into personal matters.
Earlier this week, Attorney General Juan Villena criticized Bolarte's request to postpone his court appearance for two weeks and stressed his obligation to cooperate with the investigation.
Political turmoil is not new in Peru, which has had six presidents in the past five years. But many believe that Bolarte's latest statements contradict her earlier promise to tell the truth to her prosecutors and exacerbate the political crisis stemming from her unexplained Rolex watch ownership. I'm watching it.
The Attorney General emphasized Bolarte's obligation to immediately submit the three Rolex watches for investigation and warned them not to destroy or destroy them.
Bolarte, a 61-year-old lawyer, was promoted from a low-key local official to vice president under President Pedro Castillo in July 2021, following Castillo's impeachment for dissolving Congress and attempting to rule by decree. He took office as president in December 2022.
At least 49 people were killed in the ensuing protests.
Critics have accused Bolarte's government of increasingly authoritarian tendencies as it blocks calls for early elections and cooperates with parliamentarians on legislation that threatens to undermine the independence of Peru's judiciary. ing.
