Peruvian police stormed the front door of President Dina Bolarte's home with a battering ram 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.
The investigation began in mid-March after a television program noted that Bolarte was wearing a Rolex watch, which is worth up to $14,000 in Peru. At least two more Rolexes were subsequently detected by other programs.
Bolarte, a 61-year-old lawyer, was a low-key local civil servant before joining then-President Pedro Castillo's administration in July 2021 on a monthly salary of $8,136. Mr. Bolarte then became president on a meager salary of $4,200 a month. Soon after, she began exhibiting luxury watches.
Bolarte did not list the Rolex on his required asset declaration.
Mr Bolarte's lawyer Mateo Castañeda told radio station RPP on Saturday that police had searched under the carpet in the presidential palace and found about 10 “nice” clocks. Castañeda did not say how many Rolex watches were found in the palace.
“The staff of the Government Palace fully facilitated the diligence requested by the Attorney General's Office, which was successfully implemented without any problems,” Peru's presidential palace said in a message on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on 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 the prosecutor's activities are creating “political noise that affects investments.”
Bolarte has not commented on the search.
She initially claimed ownership of at least one Rolex was a long-time possession acquired through “personal interest” and urged the media not to delve into personal matters.
Earlier in the week, Atty. General Juan Villena criticized Bolarte's request to postpone his appearance in court 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 this “recent crisis could further damage the image of Peru's president and will have significant political and economic consequences,” said Benjamin Guedan, director of the Wilson Center's Latin America program. Stated.
Many believe Bolarte's recent statements contradict her previous promise to tell prosecutors the truth and exacerbate the political crisis stemming from her unexplained ownership of Rolex watches. Looking.
The attorney general stressed Bolarte's obligation to promptly submit the three Rolex watches for investigation and warned him not to discard or destroy them.
Mr. Bolarte was sworn in as president in December 2022 after Mr. Castillo was impeached for attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree. 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 to prosecutors on Friday.
Associated Press reporters Briceño reported from Lima and Hughes from Rio de Janeiro.
