The Peruvian president’s Rolex probe

IN what would probably sound strange to a Nigerian ear, Dina Boluarte, the Peruvian president, is under fire for wearing luxury Rolex watches that are not supported by her income. The president has come under pressure since an investigation was launched over her alleged ownership of jewellery worth $500,000 despite earning a monthly salary of $3,320. The scandal began when La Encerrona, a popular Peruvian news podcast, analysed 10,000 images from the president’s Flickr account and revealed an undisclosed collection of luxury watches and jewellery.  According to reports, the scandal marks the latest political crisis for President Boluarte, who took over after her predecessor, Pedro Castillo, was removed from office and jailed. Boluarte, Peru’s first female president, shook up her cabinet this week, swearing in six new ministers after the dissenters in her cabinet, including the interior minister, handed in their resignations after the disturbing allegations that have now coalesced into a presumed Rolexgate scandal surfaced.

In a remarkable development, police had to ram open the front door of Boluarte’s residence in Lima in search of the watches. It was the first time in the country’s history that the police had forcibly entered the home of a sitting president. Prosecutors had ordered the raid after Boluarte said she was too busy to attend a hearing. They alleged that she had failed to declare the origin of three watches, including one worth £11,150, as well as other items such as a £43,000 Cartier bracelet. Critics have been quick to point out that when she took office, the former vice-president vowed to fight corruption and stand up for the rural poor. In a national broadcast, though, the president affirmed her innocence, saying that she was the victim of a plot, and denying any imputation that she was either “corrupt or a thief”. The former mid-level civil servant claimed that the items in question were loaned to her, although she admitted exercising bad judgment. She said:  “It was an error to accept as a loan those watches from my friend,” adding she had already returned those she borrowed.

On the allegations relating to a pricey designer bracelet and necklace, she said that the items in question were not that expensive, and that she had purchased them years ago. This has however not stopped lawmakers from her  former party signing a petition to remove her from office on the ground of “permanent moral incapacity”, a constitutional technicality previously used to force the resignation of a president and remove two others in the last six years. Alvaro Henzler, president of Transparencia Perú, an anti-corruption NGO, captured the mood of many Peruvians when he said: “This is not a surprise for Peruvians. We don’t know if she is corrupt or not. But we know she is not telling the truth. Today, we are at the lowest point of approval for the president and congress in the last 30 years.”  Henzler was referencing the fact that only 14 percent of Peruvians believe that the country is on the right track.

The developments in Peru are instructive. In just six years, the citizenry have had to deal decisively with three leaders, one of whom is in fact currently serving a jail term. The current president, whose guilt or innocence is yet to be affirmed as investigations continue into her alleged corruption,  is facing a serious credibility crisis and continues  to lose political capital, although some analysts say her pact with right-wing groups could keep her in power. The key point for us, however, is not about President Boluarte’s political (mis) fortune. Rather, it is about democracy and accountability. In this part of the universe called Africa, it is not everyday that you see a president facing the prospect of prosecution for using luxury items.

Indeed, here in Nigeria, presidents are treated like royalty, and it is unheard of for any prosecutor to moot the idea of taking them on. In the first place, the defective constitution that the country operates all but confers divinity on the lucky ones who wear the “President and Commander-in-Chief” badge. And regardless of their moral baggage, they have constitutional protection throughout the period they are in office. In any case, geopolitical, geoethnic and religious factors often undermine, if not preclude, any serious probe into their activities, and that is why Nigerians continue to face sheer torment in the name of governance. It is not just that a president cannot be challenged beyond media rhetoric; he cannot be prosecuted under the near absolute political monarchy that Nigeria often runs in the name of presidency. There is no Nigerian president who has ever been held accountable for his deeds in or outside office. But then, it would be foolhardy to limit this scenario to the presidency: much the same thing obtains at the state level, although federal power is often deployed to cause ex-state executives to answer charges in rituals of accountability. The main issue is that in the Nigerian society, it is normal for people to display wealth that has no correlation with their known income. People hail criminals to the skies, branding them with such as honorific terms as Alaye Baba, Odogwu, etc. This has to change.

Nigeria has to learn from other democracies and hold public office-holders to account. There is no way politicians are going to nurture any respect for the people where they are allowed to get away with monumental crimes. Things would not be so bad for Nigerians  economically and otherwise if they habitually held their leaders to account. The truth is that in Nigeria, public offices are seen as veritable avenues to shortchange the people. The mentality is not about service to the people and the country, and this is in large part because leaders are treated as a sacred cows. They are emperors whose word is law. They use their offices to enrich themselves, often using their cronies as foot soldiers of corruption.  Although they readily swear an oath of office that demands transparency, accountability and honesty to the country, they are actually not accountable to anyone, and are hardly subjected to checks and balances. This terrible state of affairs has to be changed. Nigerians must demand accountability from their leaders. And they must recruit good leaders.

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