Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has been silent for over two weeks amid allegations of illicit enrichment and omission of documentation, as reported by law students of the Facultad de Derecho y Ciencias Políticas, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco and members of Centro de Investigación de los Estudiantes de Derecho (CIED) student research center.
Boluarte has been sighted wearing high-value jewelry and Rolex watches, collectively estimated at around $193,700, at several official events. These possessions have not been declared to the concerned authorities and, coupled with an observed surge in her assets, particularly undeclared deposits in her bank accounts, uprightly pointed to potential illicit enrichment, a serious offense.
In the light of these developments, the Attorney General’s Office in Peru has initiated preliminary proceedings against Boluarte over the said allegations. These actions stem from the article 401 of the Peruvian Penal Code, prohibiting public officials from illicitly expanding their assets beyond their legitimate income, specifically through the acceptance of benefits or advantages of an illicit origin.
Boluarte, on her visit to the prosecutor’s office on April 5, changed her previous statement made on March 15 about the watches being the result of her efforts, admitting that they were loaned to her by Wilfredo Oscorima, the current regional president of Ayacucho. This act of accepting a loan, is, under the Peruvian Penal Code, unlawful for public officials.
According to a landmark Cassation No. 277-2018, issued in March 2019 by the Permanent Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of Peru, the crime of illicit enrichment does not necessarily require ownership of the property, possession is sufficient to constitute the offense. This ruling reinforces the case against Boluarte and provides clarity in ongoing proceedings.
This situation forms part of a larger pattern of public officials engaging in illicit activities. However, the increasing public frustration at such instances and the call for proper justice may signal a change on the horizon.