Peru's Congress rejects attempt to impeach president amid Rolex scandal
World
Peru's Congress rejects attempt to impeach president amid Rolex scandal
LIMA (Reuters) – Peru's Congress on Thursday voted twice against formally debating the launch of a process to impeach under-fire President Dina Boluarte, who is facing a probe into her possession of expensive jewelry including luxury Rolex watches.
Boluarte, who took office in 2022 as Peru's sixth president in just six years, is facing a probe for alleged illicit enrichment by improperly acquiring high-end Rolex watches. She has denied all wrongdoing.
Congress on Wednesday backed the government's new slate of ministers in a vote of confidence in the latest cabinet. Nearly a third of ministers resigned earlier this week, following a weekend raid at Boluarte's residence.
On Thursday, lawmakers rejected two separate motions to bring the topic of impeachment to debate.
Peru's politics are highly polarized and the constitution allows presidents to be impeached for "moral incapacity," a subjective measure that's been used to impeach several former leaders.
Approval was an unlikely scenario as conservative and right-wing lawmakers had signaled support for the president, claiming they sought to avoid a major crisis.
Almost all high-ranking officials or former Peruvian presidents have been investigated by prosecutors or have been involved in corruption cases in the last three decades.
This includes Boluarte's predecessor Pedro Castillo who was impeached in December 2022 for trying to shutter Congress and later jailed.
