There are those who refer to the “curse that persecutes the presidents of the Peru”. But the reasons are nothing paranormal: corruption, weak institutions and what has been called hyper-partisanship explain the succession of five presidents who were impeached or catapulted from power in six years.
The sixth place could be occupied by the current president, Dina Boluarteprotagonist of a new opera buffa of Peruvian politics: the spectacular invasion, under court order, of her private residence and the private wing of the presidential palace, in search of at least four watches from the brand Rolex identified on your wrist. The door to the house was broken down by police officers from the High Complexity Investigations Division – a branch created for cases involving foreign criminal organizations, with agents trained by the United States.
Other photos taken of the president showed jewelry incompatible with her earnings as a registry office employee until 2021, including a bracelet Cartier from the Love collection, the one that simulates a handcuff with a key and screws. The model seen with her, in yellow gold with 204 diamonds set, starts at 52 thousand dollars.
The president only acknowledged that she owns a Rolex, bought with her own savings a long time ago. But one of the models identified on her wrist is a Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31, made of rose gold and steel, recently launched. Value: more than 14 thousand dollars. Dina Boluarte will give a statement on Friday. Could you present the certificate with the date of manufacture of the famous watch?
“COMFORTABLE JOB”
It’s quite unlikely. If I had the proof, I should have shown it sooner. With the rumor that the case obviously provoked, it is said that she summoned advisors to look for fake Rolex models and, thus, claim the opposite of what normal people do: present real watches as if they were copies. No watch was found in the police operations, but a warranty certificate for a white gold Rolex bears the date July 8, 2023.
Another rumor: the case was caused by revenge by former Prime Minister Alberto Otárola, forced to resign after an audio recording of him declaring his love for a young woman to whom he promised a “well-paid and comfortable” job.
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The investigation into the Rolex Case led to the revelation that the president has eleven bank accounts with values equivalent to more than 250 thousand dollars, another brick in the construction of the accusation of illicit enrichment.
There is considerable evidence that the “curse” has well-known explanations, although the list is impressive. There are five presidents in six years, excluding a former president from the list, Alan García, who committed suicide in 2019 when the police arrived to arrest him. Two were classified by Congress in the category of permanent moral incapacity, an original Peruvian creation. Several cases are connected to unaccounted contributions from the former Odebrecht. Ironically, for us, the accusations against no less than 184 people are brought by the so-called Lava Jato Special Team.
The respected Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, an economist with an international reputation, lasted one year and eight months. His replacement, Martín Vizcarra, tried the maneuver of dissolving Parliament and ended up with the impeachment approved. Parliamentarian Manuel Merino was president for eight days. Colleague Francisco Sagati managed to complete the buffer mandate, passing power within the regulatory period to Pedro Castillo.
“CLEAN HANDS”
His motto – “There can be no poor in a rich country” – was good, but the union leader of humble origins remained immobilized in power, besieged by Fujimorism and comparatively irrelevant acts of corruption. He attempted a self-coup – without political or military support.
He ended up imprisoned in Barbadillo, the “penitentiary of former presidents”. He shares the prison premises with Alejandro Toledo, extradited by the United States to face corruption charges. Another former president, Ollanta Humala, is being prosecuted for money laundering along with his wife, Nadine.
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Dina Boluarte was Pedro Castillo’s vice president. Coming from an extreme left party, she promised that she would “go with him” if he fell. Not only was it not, she switched sides. She came to govern with the support of right-wing, centrist and Fujimorist parties (whose creator was amnestied by her and today, at 85 years old, campaigns for rehabilitation via TikTok).
This support could guarantee the survival of the unpopular president, who has become a mortal enemy of the left, although nothing is guaranteed in Peru’s highly unstable political reality.
“I entered the palace with clean hands and I will leave with clean hands,” she said. But the hand covered by Rolex watches could land her in a corner with no way out. Even after the police operation, the legality of which she disputes, she appeared with the white gold Rolex and diamond band, worth 22 thousand dollars.
The passion of powerful people for expensive watches is a well-known syndrome in the political life of many countries. In Peru, with its “curse” always around, it becomes more dangerous.
