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.
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.
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.
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
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
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.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International3 days agoColombia sees deadliest surge in violence since FARC peace deal
-
International4 days agoNine dead after driver runs over crowd at Vancouver Street Festival
-
Central America3 days agoGuatemala sees road blockades amid protests against lawmaker pay hikes
-
International3 days agoConclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
-
International4 days agoKing Charles III expresses deep sadness after Vancouver festival tragedy that left nine dead
-
International3 days agoSpain’s PM calls for calm and patience amid ongoing blackout
-
International3 days agoMexican activist who exposed pornography ring found dead in Veracruz
-
International3 days agoMadrid carries out 286 elevator rescues amid massive blackout
-
International1 day agoVatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
-
International1 day agoKristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
-
Internacionales4 hours agoClashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
-
International4 hours agoMan arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka