International

Boluarte celebrates two years in power in Peru surrounded by judicial scandals

Two years have passed since Dina Boluarte made her accidental entry into the Presidency of Peru, 24 months in which her mandate has been entangled in judicial scandals that have placed the head of state in the eye of a legal hurricane with investigations that include abandonment of office, corruption or cover-up.

Elected as vice president in the 2021 elections, her arrival at the head of state was marked by the failed self-coup of state of her predecessor, Pedro Castillo, which was followed by a wave of protests whose repression, which resulted in 49 deaths at the hands of the public force, meant the opening of the first investigation against her.

The winding path of Justice in Peru must, in all cases, follow the path of the constitutional complaint, a special procedure that applies to senior state officials who have immunity. Congress must give the green light to the Prosecutor’s Office so that the chamber recommends that the person under investigation be charged. If not, the investigations must be closed.

Here is a review of the cases opened against President Boluarte that have generated scandal in Peru.

Deaths in protests

The first investigation opened to Boluarte was for the crimes of homicide, genocide and serious injuries in the anti-government protests of late 2022 and early 2023.

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Congress did not accept the first complaint of the then attorney general, Patricia Benavides, so it had to be filed.

However, a second investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office, for the same case and for the crimes of homicide and injury, continues to advance and seeks to clarify whether the president was responsible for the deaths, that is, if her orders were the cause of the deaths, something that her defense denies.

The ‘Rolexgate’, the most red-to-aun scandal in Boluarte in Peru

The most media case was opened as a result of some luxury watches and jewelry that Boluarte wore and that he had not declared.

The investigation separated the case into two processes, one of them, related to the reception of these sumptuous objects, which already led to a constitutional complaint for bribery that has received a first approval in a subcommittee of Congress and must obtain the final green light in the plenary.

The alleged cover-up of its former leader

Probably the most tandated case. Boluarte was active until 2022 in the Free Peru party, a group linked to traditional Marxism and with an omnipotent leader, trained in Cuba and aspiring to Castro caudillismo: Vladimir Cerrón.

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The politician has been convicted of a corruption case from his time as regional governor and has been a fugitive from justice for more than a year. Boluarte’s links with his former leader and the police inability to arrest him have unleashed all kinds of speculation.

These were fired by the presence of an official vehicle of the Presidency in an area where the Police were looking for Cerrón. In the absence of answers from Boluarte, the Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation against her for alleged cover-up, according to the president’s defense lawyer.

Dark meetings

Last October, Boluarte unexpectedly went to the Prosecutor’s Office to testify about another investigation for having received the then Attorney General Patricia Benavides, with the alleged purpose of filing a complaint against him in exchange for maintaining the director of the Police.

The former prosecutor was dismissed for interfering in an investigation against her sister, Judge Enma Benavides, and is also accused of allegedly leading an alleged influence peddling network.

The Public Ministry reported that it is investigating the ruler for the alleged commission of the crime of improper passive bribery in grievance of the State for allegedly accepting from Benavides “the promise of filing” of the genocide investigation in exchange for not removing the then general commander of the National Police from office.

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Abandonment of office

The last open scandal was born from a nose surgery in 2023, whose effects were evident, which neither Boluarte nor his team have wanted to confirm by considering that it is his private life.

The surgery, according to experts, involved a general anesthesia and a period of convalescence. During the twelve days following that operation, he had no public activity and his communications team spread, through his platforms, old photographs.

After his former Prime Minister Alberto Otárola confirmed the surgery, the Prosecutor’s Office opened a new investigation into the alleged crime of abandonment of office, by not communicating the temporary impediment to exercise the position, during the period in which, allegedly, he had his medical leave.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”