Peru President’s brother arrested in graft probe as Rolex scandal spreads
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Police officers escorting Mr Nicanor Boluarte as he left his home on May 10, after prosecutors detained him.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LIMA – The Peruvian authorities said on May 10 that they had launched an investigation into President Dina Boluarte for disbanding a special police force that had been investigating her brother, who was detained earlier in the day.
Mr Nicanor Boluarte and the President’s lawyer were arrested as part of a probe into alleged influence peddling, ramping up pressure on the Andean country’s leader, who is already being investigated over how she got pricey Rolex watches and jewellery.
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.
Earlier in the day, Attorney-General Juan Carlos Villena said that the authority was weighing its options and demanded the police unit be reinstated “immediately”.
The authorities searched more than 20 properties, including the Lima home of Mr Boluarte, who is accused of leading a criminal organisation that influences the appointment of people in high positions on power.
Across town, the team of prosecutors and police raided the home of Ms Boluarte’s lawyer Mateo Castaneda, who is advising her in the case of alleged illicit enrichment involving Rolex watches and jewellery. Ms Boluarte has denied the accusations.
The President’s brother, along with other unnamed suspects, will remain in preliminary detention for 10 days, Peru’s Justice Department said.
A spokesman for Ms Boluarte told a press conference on the evening of May 10 that the police unit had been dissolved for failure to comply with administrative norms and that the government respected the laws and judicial autonomy.
Mr Boluarte, as he was transferred by the police to a judicial unit, denied the allegations to reporters. “I am innocent... I deny absolutely everything,” he said.
Peru, the world’s No. 2 copper exporter and once one of South America’s most attractive investment locations, has been hit by political unrest in recent years, with six presidents in as many years and regular corruption probes and impeachments. REUTERS
