LIMA (AP) — President of Peru Dina Bolarte In a televised address Saturday, he said the investigation into possible illicit enrichment was “unconstitutional and discriminatory” after police broke down the front door of his home with a battering ram overnight in search of a luxury watch. “No,” he said, rejecting the method.
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. Bolarte said authorities didn't give the family enough time to get up, get dressed and answer the door, especially since it was so late.
Police and prosecutors stand outside the home of President Dina Bolarte during a raid to seize Rolex watches as part of a preliminary investigation into allegations of illicit enrichment, Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Lima, Peru. (AP Photo/Martín Mejia)
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 TV show noted that Bolarte was wearing a Rolex watch 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.
In a prerecorded and televised speech Saturday, Bolarte did not reveal the origins of the clock. Bolarte said he was advised by his lawyer to refrain from making any statements until he appeared before prosecutors to “clarify the facts.”
However, she denied the corruption allegations. “I've always said I'm an honest woman,” Bolarte said.
“I ask myself: since when did the news media care about what the president is or isn't wearing?” I don't think this is sexism or discrimination. I want to believe and believe that it is not a problem,” added Bolarte, Peru’s first female president.
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. 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. .
Prime Minister Gustavo Adriansen told RPP radio that a “storm is brewing out of thin air” and that the prosecutor's activities were creating “political noise that affects investments.”
Mr. Bolarte initially maintained that he had owned at least one Rolex for many years and urged the media not to delve into personal matters at a press conference in March.
Earlier this week, Attorney 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 in Peru is nothing new, there have been six presidents in the past six 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.
Given the economic hardship of many Peruvians, “corruption allegations could be inflammatory,” Guedan added.
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.
Bolarte will become president in December 2022. Following Castillo's impeachment After he tried to dissolve Parliament and rule by statute.at least 49 people killed in protest That continued.
Critics have accused Bolarte's government of increasingly authoritarian tendencies in blocking policies. Demand for early elections It is also working with members of Congress on legislation that could undermine the independence of Peru's judicial system.
Castañeda told RPP that Bolarte is scheduled to testify before prosecutors on April 5.
Political analyst and lawyer Juan de la Puente said since last year's mobilization and its deadly outcome, there has been no strong social movement capable of removing Bolarte.
“There's a huge sense of distrust that their presence on the streets will lead to something positive,” de la Puente said in a phone interview, referring to potential protesters. Ta.
Still, the weekend raids underscored that Bolarte's government is back on track, de la Puente said, adding that it was still impossible to define exactly when he would step down.
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Hughes reported from Rio de Janeiro.
