Editor’s Note
This article reports on a statement by President Dina Boluarte of Peru, who is under investigation for alleged illicit enrichment and failure to declare assets, specifically concerning high-end watches. The statement followed her five-hour questioning by the National Prosecutor’s Office.
President’s Statement
The President of the Republic, Dina Boluarte, issued a statement on the afternoon of Friday, April 5.
The head of state is being investigated for the alleged crimes of illicit enrichment and omission of declaring statements in documents due to apparent irregularities in the acquisition of high-end watches (Rolex).
“I answered the questions of the National Prosecutor’s Office for five hours. I must acknowledge that it was a mistake to have accepted these watches on loan from my friend, Wilfredo Oscorima. Perhaps in the spirit of wanting to represent my country well, I was led to accept that loan. I have already returned them. And since those watches are not my property, I was not obligated to declare them in my asset and income declaration.”
Boluarte Zegarra thus denied that the Rolex accessories were “gifts” from the regional governor of Ayacucho, Wilfredo Oscorima. Furthermore, she provided explanations about other jewelry attributed to her:
“They said I wear a Cartier bracelet: this is a costume jewelry bracelet and I wear it publicly and transparently. They also said [I wear] a set of necklace and earrings with cultured pearls from the Van Cleef brand worth 70 thousand dollars. This is false. Both are from the brand Unique. I have had them with me for over 8 years and they were in my dresser on the night of the unfortunate raid. They also said [I wear] a white gold necklace set worth 60 thousand dollars; these pieces are silver and are the same ones I wear at all my public events. [I was attributed] a gold ring with a red precious stone worth 16 thousand dollars. What they said is false. This is a ring I have worn publicly and it is fine costume jewelry.”
At another point, she indicated that she refused to answer questions about these watches to the public weeks ago due to a recommendation from her lawyer:
“The person responsible for that delay [in my statement] is Dr. Mateo Castañeda, who told me, ‘First, let’s respond and declare before the competent authority; and then address the country.’ That is what I am doing, and that is all regarding the watches and jewelry. I ask the prosecutors to be more prudent when qualifying their complaints and not become a receiving desk for some biased press. I also request an end to improper leaks.”
Legal Analysis
Criminal lawyer Carlos Caro analyzed the statements of the head of state. In this regard, the specialist maintained the following:
“The president’s statement, as a defendant, is not a means of proof but an act of defense. Therefore, she can lie partially or tell only the truth. Believing her or not [Dina Boluarte] will depend on the overall assessment of all the evidence that the Prosecutor’s Office acts upon.”
Caro Coria added that Boluarte’s public defenses “may or may not be a simple alibi.” Subsequently, he indicated that:
“The case is not reduced to watches or jewelry, but encompasses the opaque or unknown origin of the money transacted in her accounts, as warned by the 2022 report from the Financial Intelligence Unit, which only now, after two years, triggers an investigation.”
Proceedings and New Elements
The head of state went to the Public Ministry (MP) this morning to provide her defenses in the Rolex case. The proceedings were led by the interim National Prosecutor, Juan Carlos Villena.
Villena Campana reported last April 2, before the Congressional Oversight Commission, that new elements have been included in the investigation of the dignitary.
The head of the Public Ministry detailed:
“It is no longer only (investigating her) for the three Rolex watches, but the charges also include the observations regarding her sworn statements, which show an increase of more than 432 thousand soles that would have occurred (…) within a two-year period. Furthermore, the charges have been expanded for the possession of a Cartier bracelet (…), according to open sources, worth 56 thousand dollars. Additionally, from this same source, the jewelry she is alleged to have used during this time in ceremonies and photo shoots would exceed 500 thousand dollars. Finally, the factual framework of the charges has also been expanded to include deposits of unknown origin, totaling 1 million 100 thousand dollars, in her bank accounts. (…) The investigation will refer to those deposits, which could have occurred solely during the period when the president served as a Minister of State.”
