Peruvian lawmakers initiated a new effort to remove President Dina Boluarte from office, citing “moral incapacity” as the reason. Boluarte has already survived four previous attempts at removal due to support from conservative lawmakers. The opposition group justified their request based on “serious new acts” committed by Boluarte that they believe make her unfit to lead the country. This move comes shortly after prosecutors began investigating the dissolution of a police unit that was looking into the activities of Boluarte’s inner circle, including one of her brothers. Boluarte took office in December 2022 after replacing then-President Pedro Castillo, who was dismissed and imprisoned for alleged corruption and rebellion.
Boluarte is currently under investigation for failing to declare ownership of three luxury watches and fine jewelry on her mandatory asset declaration form. Authorities estimate the value of these items to be over $500,000. In response to this investigation, armed police officers forcibly entered Boluarte’s home in late March to search for the watches, marking the first time in Peru’s history that a sitting president’s residence was forcibly entered by law enforcement. Following this incident, lawmakers submitted the fourth request to remove Boluarte from office, requiring 52 votes to be accepted and open for debate, and 87 votes to actually remove her from the presidency.
Dina Boluarte, a 61-year-old lawyer, originally held a modest position as a district official before joining the government of Pedro Castillo in 2021. Despite initially earning a monthly salary of $8,136, Boluarte took on the presidency with a lower salary of $4,200 per month. Shortly after assuming office, she began displaying luxury watches, which triggered suspicions and investigations into her finances. In a separate development, Boluarte’s brother and her lawyer were arrested on charges of influence peddling. Her brother, Nicanor Boluarte, allegedly worked to secure government appointments in exchange for money and support for registering a political party, while her attorney, Mateo Castañeda, was accused of interfering with the investigation into Nicanor Boluarte by offering benefits to members of a now-disbanded police unit focused on tax probes.
Following their arrests, both Nicanor Boluarte and Castañeda maintained their innocence. A judge granted prosecutors’ request to keep the two men incommunicado for 10 days, preventing any communication with the outside world. This legal maneuver is typically reserved for cases considered highly serious by authorities. The ongoing investigations and multiple legal challenges against Boluarte have escalated pressure on her presidency, with the opposition group in Parliament continuing to push for her removal. The situation remains fluid, with the outcome dependent on parliamentary votes and the results of the various investigations into Boluarte and her inner circle.
