The Peruvian police raided the presidential headquarters and the personal home of President Dina Boluarte on Friday night and early Saturday morning. According to local media, officers searched both locations and broke the lock of Boluarte's personal home while looking for high-end watches that Boluarte had not declared.
The raid is part of a preliminary investigation for illicit enrichment and failure to declare her assets to the state. The investigation led by the attorney general's office was preceded by an investigation by the local media outlet La Encerrona based on images of the president at public events, both when she was a minister and after taking office as president. According to the findings, she has been seen with 10 new watches since she took office, some of which "cost about three months of the presidential salary."
...en encuentros con autoridades extranjeras y empresarios... pic.twitter.com/g1YooSQlTE
— La Encerrona (@laencerronaperu) March 14, 2024
Shortly after the raid went public, Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzén spoke out and called it an "intolerable attack on the dignity of the presidency of the republic and the nation it represents." "These actions are disproportionate and unconstitutional," he also said in statements released by AFP. Boluarte defended herself against the accusations a week ago in a statement that El Comercio de Perú reported:
This particular watch is from the past. I use it very occasionally and what I want to say: I have entered the government palace with clean hands and I will leave with clean hands, as I have promised the Peruvian people (...) What I want to say, not to the biased news, but to all of Peru: I have been working since I was 18 years old and what I have is the result of my effort and my work.
This is not the first scandal Boluarte or her administration has faced. At the beginning of the month, Prime Minister Alberto Otárola resigned after being accused of influence peddling.
Although Boluarte has presidential immunity, she could lose office if Congress opens and votes to pass an impeachment inquiry. Two groups say they are collecting signatures to begin the impeachment process. Roberto Sánchez, from Cambio Democrático-Together for Peru, told América Noticias on Wednesday that they already had the necessary signatures to present the motion.
Boluarte's response: "Unconstitutional, arbitrary, disproportional and abusive"
The president took just a few hours to issue an official response on her part. Besides clarifying that she has not had a rebellious attitude, she condemned the investigation against her, assuring that it undermines the institution of the government.
"The whole country has witnessed how late at night a large contingent of prosecutors and police broke into my home where my family was spending the night. It was surprising how the door of my home was violated despite the fact that not enough time had elapsed for my family members to get up from their rest, get dressed and open the door, even more if we take into account the hour," Boluarte began.
Although she said she was "respectful of the fiscal action," she qualified the measure as "unconstitutional, arbitrary, disproportional and abusive." "This situation is extremely serious and affects the rights of my family and the country's governability," she added.
Finally, she dismissed rumors of resignation and denied all accusations of corruption against her. She then asked for the confidence of her citizens.
"I call on congressmen to defend institutionality, not to advance elections. This president does not surrender in the face of this systematic attack and is respectful of autonomy and decisions (...) I have always said that I am an honest woman. I entered with clean hands and that is how I will retire in 2026. I am not behind lobbies and deals, and whoever sold the story of the watches knows it because I am not corrupt. Have confidence in this mother of a family who, like many of you, strives to work for the more than 33 million Peruvians," she concluded.
