Lima: Peru’s attorney general on Monday charged President Dina Boluarte with accepting a bribe in the form of a Rolex watch in the latest twist in a corruption scandal that has rocked his popular government.
Attorney General Juan Carlos Villena said he took bribes to buy luxury items from the mayor.
The scandal erupted in March when luxury Rolex watches and undeclared jewelry were found in the president’s possession.
Boluarte told prosecutors last month that the Rolex watch was loaned to him by a friend of Ayacucho’s regional mayor, Wilfredo Oscorima. He investigated alleged “passive corruption” to receive undue benefits from government officials.
An Attorney General’s impeachment given to Congress is not an impeachment because the president has immunity while in office.
Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen criticized the accusations as “persecution” of Boluarte.
Congressional committees must discuss the cost before it reaches the full house. Ultimately, it will be up to the court to decide whether to go on trial after his term ends in July 2026.
The president, who received 12 percent of the vote in the Ipsos poll, does not own or lead a party in Congress, which needs conservative support.
Boluarte replaced leftist President Pedro Castillo in December 2022 and was charged and imprisoned for trying to dissolve Congress. He is its vice president.
In 2023, prosecutors opened an investigation accusing him of “genocide, murder and grievous bodily harm” for the deaths of more than 50 protesters during demonstrations calling for his resignation and new elections.
