President’s brother and lawyer arrested
Peruvian authorities have arrested both President Dina Boluarte’s brother and lawyer over influence-peddling accusations, a day after the government disbanded a police unit that assisted prosecutors in investigating the president’s inner circle.
A judge signed off on the arrests, according to a copy of the warrant obtained by Associated Press. The document accuses the president’s sibling of working to appoint government officials in exchange for money and an agreement to gather signatures to register a political party.
The developments mark the latest pressure on Boluarte, who became president in December 2022, when she replaced thenleader Pedro Castillo.
He was dismissed by parliament and is now imprisoned while being investigated for alleged corruption and rebellion.
The warrant also granted the prosecutors’ request to keep both men incommunicado for 10 days, a legal manoeuvre that authorities typically reserve for cases they deem highly serious.
Television stations showed images of the arrests of Nicanor Boluarte and Mateo Castaneda. The attorney general’s office later confirmed the arrests.
The president’s older brother faces charges of conspiracy and influence peddling for allegedly appointing prefects – local officials who track social conflicts in remote areas – in exchange for money and the gathering of signatures to register the Citizens for Peru party.
Meanwhile, prosecutors accuse Castaneda of interfering with the investigation against Nicanor Boluarte, 64, by offering certain benefits to members of the now-disbanded police unit.
Before his arrest, Castaneda had advised President Boluarte in an investigation into her use of luxury watches and fine jewellery she did not list in a mandatory asset declaration form.
It was not clear whether either man had lawyers who could comment on their behalf.
Prosecutors, according to the warrant, allege the purpose of the conspiracy was to “obtain economic resources and recruit members to finance” and set up the “Citizens of Peru” political party, which would then “be used as a platform to maintain power in the state apparatus and, thereby, obtain illicit profits”.
Peru’s attorney general’s office said it was now looking into a potential abuse of authority by President Boluarte and Interior Minister Walter Ortiz for dissolving the police unit.