Dina Boluarte has been racing against the clock since December 2022, when she became Peru’s interim president after Congress ousted Pedro Castillo. Her ability to pivot politically from left to right and sidestep obstacles from rivals has shown up in a lineup of fifteen watches on her wrist. The high-end timepieces have sparked a prosecutor’s inquiry into possible illicit enrichment.
Boluarte, who must finish her provisional term in 2026 and whose popularity sits around ten percent, offered answers that critics found unconvincing. She said the watches were purchased through the hard work of someone who has been employed since age 18 and are worn only on rare occasions, arguing that the suspicions against her are unfounded. “I entered the Government Palace with clean hands and I will leave with clean hands, as I promised the Peruvian people.” After that, she fell silent and declined to respond to questions about what surrounds one of her wrists: a Michael Kors piece, a rose-gold 18-karat Rolex Oyster Perpetual adorned with diamonds, valued at about $19,000, a second Rolex of the same brand, an Apple Watch around $2,000, a Fossil watch, a Bulova, another Invicta, and a Mickey Mouse image watch that carries a lower price tag.
The press reminded readers that those belongings were not declared when Boluarte first entered public life. The Prosecutor’s Office has indicated it is also investigating the president’s failure to declare certain assets.
Defending the president
The prime minister, Gustavo Adrianzén, attempted to downplay the issue with irony. “Let us declare the pencils, the baptism medals, the wedding rings. Where will this go?” Yet former prosecutor José Ugaz argued there are at least indications that Boluarte may have enriched herself improperly. “We have heard the president, the prime minister, and the justice minister say this is a private matter, which is a serious error. I worry that officials at that level are saying it is not a matter of public interest. Officials are required to file asset declarations when entering and leaving office.” In practice, what happened was the opposite. Adrianzén “left everyone dumbfounded” when he asserted there is no obligation to declare luxury items like jewelry, even though a specific rule exists. This could mark the start of potential criminal responsibility if she cannot prove the legal origin of the asset.”
On Thursday, Transportation Minister Raúl Pérez said he hoped the Prosecutor’s Office would do its job and expressed confidence that the matter should not push Congress toward removing Boluarte from office.
Origin of the scandal
The scandal came to light after the program La Encerrona aired a surprising array of watches worn by the former leader of the leftist Peru Libre since she began a tumultuous term, marked by protests and parliamentary moves to remove her. As head of state, she reportedly earns about €4,000 a month. Previously, when serving as minister of Development and Social Inclusion, she earned nearly double that amount.
The collector and TikTok user Maggie May expressed astonishment at how easily the presidential wrist can be adorned, noting how difficult it is to obtain Rolex watches, often requiring long waiting lists.
Mario Saldaña, a columnist for El Comercio, argued that the revelations undermine a government that relies on backing from conservative blocs in Congress. “A full commitment to investigations from the president herself would have tempered the optics of the jewelry issue. Instead, what we see is a retreat that reads as a denial of the obvious.”
From satire to scrutiny
The housing minister, Hania Pérez de Cuéllar, suggested that former prime minister Alberto Otárola, who resigned amid a sexual-harassment allegation, may be connected to the disclosure of the watches out of personal pique toward a Boluarte who did not publicly defend him. Pérez de Cuéllar had previously led the National Institute for the Defense of Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property and publicly supported Boluarte before admitting she had also acquired a Rolex, albeit a counterfeit, during a visit to China. The official acknowledged the mistake of buying a replica, insisting that one error does not define a person.