Peru: Troubles for President Bolwarte – Prosecutorial inquiry into her expensive watches

Preliminary investigation against the country’s president began his general prosecution, as Dina Bolwarte allegedly wore expensive watches, without having declared their acquisition or the origin of the money, at the time she was a minister. The investigation began following a publication of the La Encerrona website in Peru, which began publishing on 15 March a report accompanied by photographs depicting the lady Bolwarte to wear watches when he was a member of government in 2021 and 2022. It concerns suspicions of ‘illegal enrichment’ and the non-declaration ‘of acquisition of Rolex watches’, the prosecution explained in a press release. Mrs. Bolwarte assured that she has “clean hands” and that she has but one watch, some age, purchased with her savings. The president, 61 years old, had already been faced with an investigation, with even heavier indictment (“genocide”, “serial homicides with aggravating circumstances” and “provoking serious physical harm”) after the deaths of more than 50 people in the riots that followed her inauguration in December 2022. The head of state typically has legal immunity until the end of her term, in 2026.