‘Rolex raid’ at Peruvian president’s home

Police in Lima broke through the front door of Peruvian president Dina Boluarte’s house with a battering ram on Friday night — in search of luxury watches, as part of an investigation into possible illicit enrichment.

Police had waited in vain for several minutes for someone to open the door, as dozens of armed officers carrying ballistic shields and batons looked on. After their raid at around midnight, officers went to the presidential palace where, this time, they were admitted without resorting to force.

The country is used to seeing searches in the homes of former presidents — but this was the first time in Peru’s history that police forcibly entered the home of a sitting president. Raids on the presidential palace had happened before.

Ms Boluarte is being preliminarily investigated for allegedly acquiring an undisclosed collection of luxury watches since becoming vice president and social inclusion minister in July 2021, and then president in December 2022.

Her lawyer, Mateo Castañeda, told a radio station yesterday that police even searched under the carpets at the presidential palace, and found approximately 10 “nice” watches. In an unusual interview during the early hours, Peru’s prime minister told radio that he considered the raid “illegal and unconstitutional”.

Ms Boluarte has not commented on Friday’s searches. At a press conference in March she claimed ownership of at least one Rolex as a long-held possession and urged the media not to delve into personal matters.

Earlier in the week, Peru’s attorney general criticised Ms Boluarte’s request to delay her appearance before the court for two weeks.

In the radio interview, Ms Boluarte’s lawyer did not say how many of the watches found in the palace were Rolex watches.

Political turmoil is nothing new in Peru, which has seen six presidents in the last six years. But many see Ms Boluarte’s recent statements as contradicting her earlier pledge to speak truthfully to prosecutors, exacerbating a political crisis stemming from her unexplained ownership of Rolex watches.

The attorney general emphasised Ms Boluarte’s obligation to promptly produce the watches for investigation, cautioning against their disposal or destruction.

Critics accuse Ms Boluarte’s government of taking an increasingly authoritarian bent as it staves off demands for early elections and works with members of congress on laws that threaten to undermine the independence of Peru’s judicial system.