International
The clock scandal leaves the exit door of Boluarte open
A new political crisis is experiencing Peru, after the raid on the home of President Dina Boluarte and the Government Palace by a police and prosecutor’s team looking for the luxury watches not declared by the president.
The image of this team breaking the lock marked the day in which the president said she was the victim of an arbitrary and abusive procedure. These are the keys:
Boluarte was summoned by the Public Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week to show the famous watches and testify, respectively, but the president did not attend any of these calls.
Local media reported that the Boluarte defense had asked to reschedule the appointments because of the president’s busy agenda.
Even so, the interim Attorney General, Juan Carlos Villena, affirmed that the president was acting in absentia and Supreme Prosecutor Hernán Mendoza said in the Congressional Oversight Commission that he was thwarting the investigation.
On March 18, the Public Ministry opened a preliminary procedure against Boluarte for the alleged commission of the crime of illicit enrichment by not having declared luxury watches before the National Election Jury (JNE).
Shortly before midnight on Friday, a team of about 20 prosecutors and as many police officers arrived at the house in Boluarte, in the Lima district of Surquillo, where, when they did not receive a response when they knocked on the door, they broke the lock and entered the house.
Five hours later they left with briefcases to their next destination, the Government Palace, where they were for several hours raiding the office and the residential area of the complex.
The court order signed by Supreme Judge Juan Carlos Checkley authorized the raid, with unveiling if necessary, of the residence of Boluarte, “who is attributed to be the alleged perpetrator of the crimes of illicit enrichment and failure to record statements in documents.”
Shortly after the registration at the Government Palace was concluded, the Prime Minister, Gustavo Adrianzén, went out together with several members of the cabinet and the president’s lawyer to describe this measure as disproportionate, illegal and unconstitutional.
“What they are doing is politicizing and evidencing that justice has been politicized in an unprecedented event that is attacking the democratic institutionality and the Presidency and, above all, evidencing the crocking of the democratic system and constitutionality,” said the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Eduardo Arana.
Lawyer Mateo Castañeda said that the raid was unnecessary and unjustified, that it is not proportionate to the purpose of this diligence and “that so many fiscal and police personnel cannot be mobilized to search for watches.”
During the day, the official accounts on social network X of several ministries such as the Interior or Agrarian Development, as well as all the ministers, supported Boluarte and rejected the fiscal and police intervention.
While the country waited for Boluarte’s words, the raid divided the Peruvian political parties between those who saw an opportunity to resurrect a new election and criticize the president, and those who criticized the raid and defended it.
Among the first was the Marxist party to which the president herself belonged, Perú Libre, who presented to Congress a motion of vacancy (destitution) against her that so far has the signature of 26 parliamentarians of the 130 that make up the chamber.
But most conservative political formations such as Fuerza Popular, Renovación Popular or Somos Perú, who defined the raid as “mere spectacle” or “abuse of power,” showed their support for Boluarte.
With great expectation, the president made a statement with her entire cabinet in which she defined what happened at her home and Government Palace as “arbitrary, abusive and disproportionate and affirmed that there has never been either refusal or rebellion on her part in the face of the tax investigation.
He did not refer to what the citizenry expected: the origin of the clocks. According to he said, his lawyer has recommended that he only deal with this issue in public at the Prosecutor’s Office, where he will clarify the facts “as soon as possible.”
In addition, he blamed the media for organizing a campaign of harassment against him and spreading false and biased news against him for months and reiterated that he will leave the Government in 2026 with clean hands.
During the day it was made public that the Judiciary admitted to processing a habeas corpus presented by the president’s defense so that the procedure of raiding her home is declared null and void.
According to his lawyer, Boluarte will testify in the Public Ministry on Friday, April 5, and in the meantime journalistic programs have announced that they will reveal details of what the prosecutor’s team found at home and that Peruvians want to know.
International
Merengue concert turns to mourning as Jet Set collapse claims 136 lives
Dominican rescue teams will end search and recovery operations on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at the Jet Set nightclubin Santo Domingo, where the building collapsed during a live concert.
Authorities estimate that the final 20 bodies will be recovered from the rubble today, bringing the official death toll to 136. This includes 12 additional bodies found overnight in the disaster zone, adding to the previously confirmed 124 fatalities.
Outside the collapsed nightclub, desperate relatives of the missing continue to gather, clinging to hope for news. Many also visited nearby hospitals and morgues in search of their loved ones.
A list of confirmed victims has been posted on a tent set up near the site, where the bodies are being transferred for identification.
The tragedy occurred during a performance by renowned merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was among the deceased.
Central America
Colombia to host fourth EU-CELAC Summit in November
The Fourth Summit between the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will take place on November 9 and 10 in Santa Marta, Colombia, according to a joint statement released Wednesday by the Colombian government and the European Council.
The summit will be co-chaired by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in his role as pro tempore president of CELAC, and European Council President António Costa, the statement added.
The last EU-CELAC summit took place in July 2023 in Brussels, when both blocs agreed to hold these meetings every two years.
The summit brings together the 27 EU member states and the 33 CELAC countries, representing 14% of the global population, 21% of global GDP, and one-third of the members of the United Nations, the communiqué noted.
International
Russia and US to Meet in Istanbul for Diplomatic Talks on April 10
The Kremlin confirmed today a forthcoming meeting with the United States to discuss the normalization of diplomatic relations, which will take place in Istanbul.
“Our participation will be through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesperson, during his daily telephone press conference.
Peskov was responding to a question about who would represent Russia in the new round of negotiations, which is supposedly scheduled for April 10.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the delegations will be led by the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Alexandr Darchiev, and the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Sonata Coulter.
These are the same negotiators who met in late February in Istanbul, where the expert-level negotiation format was the same, according to the source.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said a few days ago that the next meeting would be held in the Turkish city, though he did not confirm a date.
Lavrov, who participated in only one of these meetings, clarified that the upcoming discussions would address the issues still dividing Moscow and Washington diplomatically, referring to the operations of both countries’ embassies.
The Kremlin asserted that Washington has not yet responded to Russia’s security concerns, preventing a ceasefire declaration on land, sea, and air.
Meanwhile, Trump expressed discontent with Russia’s recent attacks, including one last week that killed 20 people in Krivi Rig, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
So far, Russia has rejected a cessation of hostilities and only declared a 30-day ceasefire on March 18 against attacks on energy infrastructure, which was extended by Kyiv a week later.
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