Peruvian president will not resign over watch investigation

(Patria) - Peruvian President Dina Boluarte said on Saturday she would not resign after a raid on her home as part of an investigation into possible illicit enrichment and failure to declare ownership of luxury watches, Reuters reported.

About twenty officials from the public prosecutor's office and twenty police officers raided her home on Friday evening, and the palace on Saturday morning.

"I took office with clean hands and I will leave the presidency in 2026," she said at a press conference, calling the raids a "disproportionate" measure and "offensive."

Her home is located in the Lima district of Surquillo, a few kilometers from the palace where she works.

"Palace staff provided all the conditions for the requested diligence," the Presidency announced on X, adding that it was carried out "normally and without any incidents."

However, Peruvian Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen also criticized the raids.

"The political noise being raised is serious and affects investments and the entire country," he wrote on X.

"What happened in the last few hours are disproportionate and unconstitutional actions," he added.

Two weeks ago, prosecutors began preliminary investigations after a media report by the online program La-Encerona that the president owned several Rolex watches. The investigation aimed to determine whether there were grounds for a formal investigation of the president.

Boluarte, who has been in office since December 2022, admitted to owning Rolex watches, which she said she bought with money she earned in her youth.