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
Climate-driven rains trigger one of Indonesia’s deadliest flood emergencies in years
A torrential monsoon season, compounded by two unusual tropical cyclones, has triggered intense rainfall in several regions since last week, including southern Thailand, northern Malaysia, and large parts of Indonesia.
Climate change has recently intensified rainfall patterns, as a warmer atmosphere is able to hold more moisture. In Indonesia, desperation is growing among those affected by the disaster due to the slow pace of rescue operations and the distribution of humanitarian aid.
Relief agencies warned that the scale of the emergency is nearly unprecedented, even for a country accustomed to frequent natural disasters.
Across the island of Sumatra, the death toll was revised downward to 770 fatalities and at least 463 people still missing as of Wednesday night. Earlier, the national disaster management agency had reported 804 deaths.
Gathering accurate information on the ground remains difficult, as many regions are still cut off due to flood damage, widespread power outages, communication failures, or a combination of all three.
International
Russian authorities ban Roblox citing child safety and moral concerns
Russia has blocked access to the U.S.-owned game creation platform Roblox, accusing it of distributing extremist materials and what authorities described as “LGBT propaganda,” state media reported on Wednesday.
The country has repeatedly threatened to ban certain foreign digital platforms, a move that human rights organizations view as part of broader efforts by authorities to tighten control over internet use.
In a statement released through Russian news agencies, the federal communications watchdog Roskomnadzor accused Roblox of hosting “inappropriate content that can negatively affect the spiritual and moral development of children.”
“The game exposes minors to sexual harassment, tricks them into sharing intimate photos, and encourages them to commit acts of depravity and violence,” the regulator claimed.
Last week, the same agency also threatened to ban WhatsApp, the country’s second most widely used messaging app, accusing it of failing to prevent criminal activity.
Roblox, which is owned by the U.S.-based Roblox Corporation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to company data for 2024, the platform has around 100 million daily users worldwide, nearly 40% of whom are under the age of 13.
Other countries, including Qatar, Iraq and Turkey, have also restricted or banned Roblox, mainly over concerns about the safety of underage users. In the United States, the states of Texas and Louisiana have filed lawsuits against the platform on similar grounds.
International
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty on Monday to drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court, months after his brother Ovidio reached a similar plea agreement, according to local media reports.
The defendant appeared before a federal court in Chicago early Monday afternoon and changed his previous plea in the case, the Chicago Tribune reported. U.S. authorities accuse him of forming, together with his three brothers, the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos.”
The group is believed to have continued the operations of El Chapo, who has been serving a life sentence in the United States since 2019.
Guzmán López, 39, was arrested after landing in Texas in a small aircraft alongside cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
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Russian authorities ban Roblox citing child safety and moral concerns
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