The residence of the president of Peru Dina Boluarte was investigated last Friday night as part of an investigation into unjust enrichment, as the head of state is suspected of failing to include a collection of luxury watches in her wealth declaration.

According to a police document, to which AFP had access, around 40 police officers and magistrates were mobilized “with the aim of searching the house and confiscating the Rolex watches”.

Images broadcast by local television showed investigators surrounding the president’s residence in Surquijo, a suburb of Lima, and forming a human barrier to block vehicular traffic on surrounding streets.

The police intervention was carried out at the request of the public prosecutor, after the prosecution rejected Bolovarte’s request to present the luxury watches and the documents related to their acquisition herself.

If she is prosecuted, the Peruvian president, under the Constitution, will not be able to stand trial before July 2026, when her term as president ends.

The Rolex scandal erupted after a local news website, La Encerrona, published a series of photos on March 15 showing Bolluarte wearing various luxury watches in 2021 and 2022 while she was in government.

Boluarte assured that she has “clean hands” and that she only owns an old watch, which she bought with her savings.

The 61-year-old president is already being investigated for “genocide, aggravated manslaughter and causing serious injury” after more than 50 people died during the two months of social unrest that followed her rise to the presidency.

Dina Boluarte became president after the ouster and arrest of leftist head of state Pedro Castillo, whose vice president she was.