Peru’s Prosecutor’s Office instructed President Dina Boluarte to show all Rolex watches she owns on April 5, following a search of her home and office as part of an ongoing corruption investigation.
Enforced by the Supreme Court of Justice’s ruling, the action against Boluarte took place from Saturday night to the early hours of Sunday. Police raided Boluarte’s home, office, and the presidential residence in the Government Palace. Online footage showed that the police used a battering ram to break through Boluarte’s home’s front door during a midnight raid. The Prosecutor’s Office stated that the forced entry was necessitated only after an unanswered request for entry and purpose explanation via the intercom. The prosecutors revealed that they had not located or obtained any Rolex watch during the search but had confiscated other items pertinent to the corruption probe.
Boluarte’s lawyer argued to the local media that Boluarte has a personal collection of approximately ten watches of various brands, some of which were part of her trousseau, and were inspected but not confiscated during the search. The defense team has also expressed interest in appealing against the judicial resolution that entailed the Saturday action, terming it as excessive and unnecessary.
Boluarte herself has indeed given a statement on national television. The preliminary proceedings against the president began on March 18 and were instigated by a report from an independent media organization indicating that Boluarte wore up to three Rolex watches at various official events. Boluarte was initially scheduled to display her watches at the Prosecutor’s Office. However, she asked the Prosecutor’s Office to get a statement from her as soon as possible due to an intense schedule and online “political turmoil” caused by the Saturday raid, bypassing the arranged date of April 5.
Under the Peruvian Constitution, Boluarte will not face trial until her presidential term concludes in July 2026 unless she is impeached. As per Article 113.2 of the Constitution, Congress may pursue a vacancy motion on the grounds of “moral incapacity.” Nevertheless, such a motion is expected to be almost unlikely as it demands collaboration from right-leaning groups controlling the parliament, which are also Boluarte’s principal allies.