BUENOS AIRES: Peruvian prosecutors on Thusday said they have launched a preliminary investigation into President Dina Boluarte for allegations she abandoned her post for nearly two weeks in 2023 for a surgical procedure, reported German news agency (dpa).
The country’s Public Ministry said in a statement posted on social media platform X that Boluarte was being investigated “for the alleged crimes of omission of functional acts, and/or alternatively for the alleged crime of abandonment of office”.
Prosecutors went on to say that probe relates to the failure of the president to communicate she would be temporarily unable to perform her duties in 2023 from June 29 to July 9 “as a result of a surgical procedure to which she was subjected”.
Prime Minister Alberto Otárola on Tuesday admitted that the president did not notify Congress to a parliamentary committee, also confirming she had undergone nose surgery.
The government had previously denied she had taken time off, according to local media.
“However, at no point did she neglect her duties as president, and I am aware of this because I was president of the Council of Ministers at the time,” Otárola told the committee.
Former vice president Boluarte came to power at the end of 2022, succeeding president Pedro Castillo, who was arrested on charges of an attempted coup d’état following a showdown with Congress. – BERNAMA-dpa
