LIMA: The residence of Peru’s President Dina Boluarte has been raided as part of a continuing corruption investigation linked to undisclosed luxury watches, police said on Saturday. About 40 police officials participated in the operation early on Saturday.
The raid, which focused on Rolex watches that Boluarte had allegedly failed to declare, was carried out jointly by police and the prosecutor’s office. The operation, authorized by the judiciary at the request of the attorney general’s office, was broadcast on local television channel Latina, revealing scenes of government agents breaking into the president’s residence in Lima’s Surquillo district using a sledgehammer.
Despite the extensive police presence and televised spectacle, President Boluarte was not present in her home at the time of the raid. The authorities emphasized that the operation was conducted for the purpose of “search and seizure.”
Luxury Watches Investigation Against Peru’s President
Reacting to the raid, Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen condemned the action as an affront to the dignity of the presidency and the nation it represents, describing it as “disproportionate and unconstitutional” during an interview with RPP radio and television.
The investigation into Boluarte’s luxury watches was initiated following a report by local news outlet La Encerrona, which alleged that the president had been seen wearing multiple Rolex watches at official events. In response to inquiries regarding the affordability of such expensive timepieces on her public salary, Boluarte attributed them to years of hard work since she was 18 years old and urged the media not to dig into personal matters.
Attorney General Juan Villena criticized Boluarte’s request to postpone her appearance before the court by two weeks. Villena also underscored Boluarte’s responsibility to produce the three Rolex watches for investigation and warned against their disposal or destruction.
