Police have raided the house of Dina Baluarte, the president of the South American country of Peru, in search of a Rolex watch. The corruption in this incident in the country has been named ‘Rolexgate’.
Authorities searched the president’s home for more than a dozen Rolex watches, the BBC reported. These were allegedly not announced by President Baluarte.
A news report from his inauguration in December 2022 highlighted the watch as a gift to the president. After that, the investigation started about his luxury watch.
Baluarte said that his Rolex watch is old; he bought it after saving money since he was 18.
The government announced earlier this month that it would review assets declared by the president over the past two years. In a speech last week, President Baluarte said he took office corruption-free and will leave office corruption-free.
The joint operation of the police and the prosecutor’s office at the president’s house early Saturday morning was broadcast on local television channel Latina.
According to reports, a heavy police presence was seen at the president’s house in the Surquillo district of the capital, Lima. Earlier, the officials asked the president to take out the watches. But the operation started after the president denied it.
Peru’s President Baluarte is a former lawyer. He became president by chance after his predecessor, Pedro Castillo, was impeached.
