International
The fiscal and police team investigating the president of Peru, at the Government Palace of Lima
The team of prosecutors and police officers that entered around midnight on Friday at the home of the president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, arrived around 4.30 a.m. (9.30 GMT) this Saturday at the Government Palace of Lima, where it will continue with the proceedings of an open investigation against the ruler.
Anti-corruption prosecutors and agents of the High Complexity Crimes Investigation Division (Diviac) of the Peruvian National Police (PNP) arrived at the government headquarters, in the historic center of the Peruvian capital, after staying for more than five hours in the house of Boluarte, in the Lima district of Surquillo.
The participants in the operation broke the lock of the main door of the Boluarte house after their requests to access the property were not met. The ruler was not at home at that time.
Both the prosecutors and the police officers who intervened in the operation told the journalists that the investigation is confidential and they cannot offer more information about the investigations.
The entrance to the Boluarte house and the Government Palace is made as part of a preliminary investigation opened against Boluarte for the alleged commission of the crime of illicit enrichment.
The Prime Minister of Peru, Gustavo Adrianzén, declared himself this Saturday “indignant” by the raid that the Prosecutor’s Office made on the president’s house and considered that there has been “an intolerable abuse of the dignity” of the Head of State.
“I am outraged by what happened, what has happened this midnight constitutes an intolerable abuse of the dignity of the presidency of the Republic and the nation it represents,” Adrianzén told the RPP station.
The prime minister added that “it is not possible” that they have to “witness absolutely disproportionate and if not unconstitutional actions,” since the ruler is protected by the immunity granted by her office.
The Boluarte house was searched by a team of prosecutors and agents of the Peruvian National Police (PNP) as part of a preliminary investigation opened against the ruler for the alleged commission of the crime of illicit enrichment.
The prosecutors carried out the operation for the purpose of registration and seizure of the luxury watches that, according to local media, Boluarte used in different public activities and has allegedly not declared as part of his estate.
Adrianzén recalled that the president requested that the proceedings of the case be rescheduled, but said that this “has not been granted” by the Prosecutor’s Office.
“It is unusual, to say the least, that at midnight and on a holiday, as we are right now, these actions have to be carried out,” he emphasized.
The Presidency of Peru and the Public Ministry have maintained a controversy in recent days regarding the proceedings initiated as part of the investigation opened for the alleged lack of declaration by the ruler of her luxury watches.
Last Wednesday, the Prosecutor’s Office denounced that the visits to the ruler were frustrated both at her home and in the Government Palace, while the Presidency assured that representatives of the Public Ministry were attended by members of the staff of the Boluarte office, who received a notification for the president.
Supreme Prosecutor Hernán Mendoza declared before the Congressional Oversight Commission that the president “had frustrated” the investigations by not attending the citations made for Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
After that situation, the legal defense of Boluarte asked to reschedule the proceedings in the investigation of the case of luxury watches that the president did not declare and for which she is being investigated for illicit enrichment.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
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