Peru Prosecutors Probe President for Alleged Money Laundering

(Bloomberg) -- Peruvian prosecutors said late on Tuesday that they had opened an investigation against President Dina Boluarte and former President Pedro Castillo for allegedly laundering money as part of a criminal organization.

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The new probe comes the same week congress is set to decide whether to launch impeachment proceedings against Boluarte, who came to power just three months ago.

Castillo and Boluarte ran a joint ticket that won the 2021 elections on a radical left platform. But Castillo was ousted and arrested in December after trying to dissolve congress and rule by decree. Then-Vice President Boluarte was elevated to president.

The investigation is set to dig into whether Castillo and Boluarte received illegal campaign financing during the 2021 campaign. A former Castillo aide, Henry Shimabukuro, has recently told local media he bankrolled Boluarte’s campaign expenses without disclosing the support to Peru’s electoral regulator.

This is Boluarte’s second criminal investigation while in office. Prosecutors are also looking into whether she committed homicide or genocide in the handling of anti-government protests that have left over 60 civilians dead. In Peru, a president can be investigated while in office, but not charged.

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