Police officers stand outside the Government Palace after prosecutors raided the home of President Dina Bolarte as part of an investigation into the illegal enrichment and failure to declare ownership of luxury watches in Lima, Peru, March 30, 2024. . Photographed in Lima, Peru on March 30, 2024.Sebastian Castaneda/Reuters Photo
LIMA (AP) — Peruvian police used a battering ram to break through the front door of President Dina Bolarte's home overnight in search of luxury watches as part of an investigation into possible illicit enrichment.
Police waited in vain for several minutes late Friday for someone to open the door as dozens of armed officers with bulletproof shields and batons looked on. After a raid around midnight, police officers proceeded to the presidential palace and were allowed into the country, this time without the use of force.
The country is accustomed to raids on the homes of former presidents, but this was the first time in Peru's history that police had forcibly entered the home of a sitting president. There have been previous attacks on the presidential palace.
Bolarte has been under preliminary investigation for allegedly acquiring an undisclosed collection of luxury watches since becoming vice president and minister of social inclusion in July 2021 and becoming president in December 2022.
Mr Bolarte's lawyer Mateo Castañeda told radio station RPP on Saturday morning that police had searched under the carpet in the presidential palace and found about 10 “good” watches.
“The staff of the Government Palace fully facilitated the diligence requested by the Attorney General's Office and was successfully implemented without any problems,” Peru's presidential office said in a message on X (formerly Twitter) Saturday morning.
In an unusual early morning interview, Prime Minister Gustavo Adriansen told RPP radio that he considered the attack “illegal and unconstitutional.”
Adrianzen added that a “storm is brewing out of thin air” and that the prosecutor's activities are creating “political noise that affects investments.”
Bolarte did not comment on Friday's search efforts.
Bolarte initially claimed at a press conference in March that he had owned at least one Rolex for many years, and urged the media not to delve into his personal issues.
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.
In an interview with RPP, Mr. Bolarte's lawyer, Mr. Castañeda, did not say how many Rolex watches were among the watches found in the palace.
Political turmoil is not new in Peru, which has had six presidents in the past six 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.
read more: Peru's political turmoil threatens decades of relative financial stability
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.
Castañeda told RPP that Bolarte is scheduled to testify at the prosecutor's office next Friday, April 5th.
Hughes reported from Rio de Janeiro.
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Police officers stand outside the Government Palace after prosecutors raided the home of President Dina Bolarte as part of an investigation into the illegal enrichment and failure to declare ownership of luxury watches in Lima, Peru, March 30, 2024. . Photographed in Lima, Peru on March 30, 2024.Sebastian Castaneda/Reuters Photo
