LIMA (Reuters) – Peru has had six presidents since 2018, with current head of state Dina Boluarte embroiled in politics and facing calls to resign amid questions about the origins of her Rolex watch collection.
Boluarte is under investigation on charges of illicit enrichment for possessing a luxury watch without proof of how she obtained it. Over the Easter weekend, dozens of police and prosecutors raided her home and office for evidence in the case.
Boluarte, who took power in 2022 after her predecessor was impeached for illegally trying to shut down Congress, began her term marked by protests and a subsequent crackdown that left dozens dead.
Despite widespread calls for her resignation or postponement of the election, Boluarte survived but now faces new calls to resign over the scandal.
In a televised address to the nation, Boluarte called the raid “offensive” and said she would serve her sentence until 2026. Congress has already taken the first steps to bring Boluarte to justice.
WHAT IS THE ROLEX SCANDAL?
In March, the popular YouTube political show “La Encerrona” reviewed thousands of Boluarte’s photos and found that she was wearing several Rolex watches worth between $14,000 and $25,000.
On March 18, Peruvian prosecutors announced “preliminary proceedings” against Boluarte on charges of “illegal enrichment” and failure to declare ownership of an expensive Rolex watch.
WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE RAID?
Around midnight on Good Friday, dozens of prosecutors and police arrived at Boluarte’s home to conduct a search.
Prosecutors said they requested the watch from Boluarte, but it was not handed over, and the raid revealed “items of interest” to the investigation.
Local media published documents from the raid showing at least one Rolex watch, a Datejust 36 with a purchase date of July 8, 2023. A similar model on the Rolex website costs at least $14,800.
Eight cheaper watches from other brands were found at the Government Palace, according to local media reports. Boluarte’s salary as president is about $4,200, with expenses and housing paid for by the state.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?
Boluarte’s defense asked the prosecutor to delay her testimony to the president, but is now asking her to testify on Friday, April 5, due to the “political turbulence” the case is causing.
Lawmakers, mostly from the left of the opposition, introduced a proposal in Congress on Monday to begin impeachment proceedings against Boluarte for “persistent moral failure.” Just 26 of 130 lawmakers are needed to begin the process, 52 votes are needed to debate impeachment in Congress, and 87 votes are needed to impeach.
Boluarte has already survived two attempts to begin impeachment proceedings, but both fell short of the 52 votes to proceed. Impeachment is unlikely because right-wing lawmakers have a majority in Congress and support Boluarte.
Six of Boluarte’s ministers, including the interior minister, resigned on Monday over the scandal.
Gustavo Adriansen, who took over as prime minister in March, is due to be confirmed by Congress on Wednesday and if he fails a vote of confidence, Boluarte’s entire cabinet must resign.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHER PRESIDENTS OF PERU?
Peru’s politics are highly polarized, and the constitution allows presidents to be impeached for “moral failure,” a subjective measure that has been used to prosecute several former leaders.
Over the past three decades, almost all high-ranking officials or former presidents of Peru have been investigated or implicated in corruption cases.
After being elected in 2016, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned pending possible conviction following his successful impeachment in 2018 following a corruption scandal. His vice president, Martín Vizcarra, then took over, but was also impeached in 2020 for “persistent moral failure” over corruption allegations.
After this, Manuel Merino served as president for only five days, resigning after two deaths during protests in Lima. Francisco Sagasti then took power for a year until leftist outsider Pedro Castillo was elected in 2021.
Castillo was impeached in December for attempting to shut down Congress. Castillo is now in the same prison as another former president, Alejandro Toledo. They shared prison with former President Alberto Fujimori, who was released last December after being pardoned.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino and Reuters Television; Editing by Alexander Villegas and Alistair Bell)