Dina Boluarte on luxury watches: “It was a mistake to have accepted them, but I already returned them”

Chance determined that the moment of truth for President Dina Boluarte was April 5, the day that marks 32 years since Alberto Fujimori broke the constitutional order, with a self-coup d'état. If that measure consolidated the Nikkei engineer's objective of perpetuating himself in power, in the case of the Apurim lawyer, her first statement before the Prosecutor's Office about the origin of her high-end watches represents one of her efforts to survive in the Palace. . Perhaps the most significant: since the social upheaval, her investiture was not in such danger.

This Friday afternoon, after giving his testimony for five hours, Boluarte gave a press conference where he denied having committed any crime. According to her, her impressive collection of high-end watches was actually a loan from the regional governor of Ayacucho, Wilfredo Oscorima, whom she called a friend and brother. “I must admit that it was a mistake to have accepted them as a loan (...) The desire to represent my country well led me to accept them, but I have already returned them. Since they are not my property, I was not obliged to declare them,” she stated.

Oscorima took center stage in this plot in the last few hours. Not only because of his predilection for Rolexes, which he has flaunted in many public appearances, but because of a coincidence of dates that could link him to the Head of State. Héctor Banchero Herrera, manager of Casa Banchero, an authorized importer of Rolex in Peru, provided the Prosecutor's Office with a record of his sales, which includes Oscorima. There it is clearly indicated that on May 31, 2023, the man from Ayacucho acquired a Rolex, Datejust 36 model, with an 18-carat pink alloy and sapphire crystal. The date is not a minor detail: it is the day that Dina Boluarte turned 60 years old. As indicated on the Transparency portal, in the afternoon Oscorima visited the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. There were no more than 25 minutes in which he met with advisor Fritz Köhne Fulchi. A week later, on June 7, the President wore a Rolex with identical characteristics at a public event. Could it really have been a loan as he claims?

On Thursday, Oscorima was summoned to the Public Ministry but did not answer the prosecutors' questions. Through his lawyer, he has denied having given Boluarte a Rolex. The truth is that his region received 100 million soles (2.7 million dollars) from the State for the construction of a stadium. Furthermore, the past reveals him: in 2010 he gave two watches to two judges of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Regional Governor of Cusco, Werner Salcedo, has just confessed that Oscorima gave him two Rolex imitations and “lent” him one original. “It was already returned weeks ago. I have nothing to hide. On the contrary, I open myself to investigations,” he said.

During his defense, Boluarte also referred to his jewelry that is estimated to exceed $500,000, including a Cartier bracelet valued at $56,000. Again, he denied everything and practically said they were trinkets. “Did they say he wore Cartier? This is the fine jewelry bracelet and I wear it publicly and transparently. They also talked about a set of necklace and earrings with cultured pearls for 70 thousand dollars. Completely false. These earrings and this necklace are from the Unique brand. I’ve had it for eight years,” he said, pointing to a modest box.

The president used the same tone to talk about her rings. Regarding her silence, she blamed her lawyer and accused the Prosecutor's Office of leaking information reserved for the press. "Mateo Castañeda told me: 'first let's respond and declare before the competent authority and then go to the country.' I ask the prosecutors to be more prudent and not become a table for biased press reports. "Let inappropriate leaks cease in all cases." She then launched an invocation: “I ask all of us to turn this page to deal with what really matters, which is the national agenda.” And finally, she thanked Congress for rejecting two vacancy motions against her that she called absurd. “Enough of continuing to operate with black hands against the country with these hoaxes and smoke screens that benefit no one and harm foreign investments,” Boluarte stated.

Indeed, the day before, Parliament rejected two vacancy motions against him, promoted by the opposition. None reached the minimum votes to be admitted to debate. This is the same Chamber that granted the vote of confidence to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzén, despite remaining silent about the alleged illicit enrichment involving the president. The explanation could be found in a statement from last February by the released Fujimori: “the government of President Dina Boluarte will continue until 2026, at least Fuerza Popular and Fujimori have agreed so,” said the former autocrat, making show off his power. Fuerza Popular, the party founded by his daughter Keiko, has a large majority in the Chamber.

The expectation for the president's demonstration was very high because she had shied away from the issue. Except for a statement at the time, where she maintained that everything she had was the result of her efforts, she missed two tax proceedings, taking refuge in her overloaded agenda. It was only after the raid on her house on Good Friday that she was forced to give a Message to the Nation. Message that was not at all convincing and that rather increased doubts about the origin of her jewelry. Doubts that were difficult to dispel this Friday. Simply because first she said that they were from “yesterday” and that all of her possessions were due to her work, and now she says that they were a “loan.”

The day began very early, with the arrival of Pedro Castillo's successor at the Public Ministry shortly after eight in the morning. The entire area was surrounded by bars and guarded by a large police contingent. As the morning progressed, several groups of different ideological tendencies approached the place to demonstrate their rejection or, on the contrary, their support for President Boluarte. On one side, a group cried out with one voice: “the blood spilled will never be forgotten,” in reference to the civilians who died in the mobilizations, while in the other corner they heard: “Dina resists.”

As recalled, Boluarte is being investigated following a journalistic complaint from the La Encerrona podcast. The president wore at least fifteen luxury watches—including a $19,000 Rolex—at various official events. Added to this are jewelry that would exceed $500,000, including a Cartier brand bracelet, valued at $56,000, a Honda car purchased in cash in 2018 and deposits in their accounts for 1.1 million ($297,000) between 2016 and 2022. Regarding the deposits, there is a report from the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) of the Superintendency of Banking and Insurance (SBS) that, since it found no support in said operations, indicates that it could be an alleged crime of money laundering. Premier Gustavo Adrianzén affirmed that with the president's testimony the Rolex case would be settled. Will the president's word be enough? We'll see.

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