Egypt on Saturday announced the discovery of two small ancient tombs in the southern city Luxor dating back some 3,500 years and hoped it will help the country's efforts to revive its ailing tourism sector.
The tombs, located on the west bank of the river Nile in a cemetery for noblemen and top officials, are the latest discovery in the city famed for its temples and tombs spanning different dynasties of ancient Egyptian history.
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Egypt on Saturday announced the discovery of two small ancient tombs in the southern city Luxor dating back some 3,500 years and hoped it will help the country's efforts to revive its ailing tourism sector.
"It's truly an exceptional day," Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said. "The 18th dynasty private tombs were already known. But it's the first time to enter inside the two tombs."
The other tomb has five entrances leading to a rectangular hall and contains two burial shafts located in the northern and southern sides of the tomb.
Afterward, al-Anani headed to a nearby site where the famous Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut is located to open for the first time the temple's main sanctuary known as the "Holy of Holies."
An Egyptian excavation worker restores funeral furniture found in a newly discovered tombon Luxor's West Bank known as "KAMPP 161" during an announcement for the Egyptian Ministry of antiquities about new discoveries in Luxor, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Egypt's Antiquities Ministry says archaeologists have discovered two ancient tombs in the southern city of Luxor. The ministry said Saturday that one tomb has five entrances leading to a rectangular hall, and contains painted wooden funerary masks, clay vessels and a mummy wrapped in linen. (AP Photo/Hamada Elrasam)
Egyptian excavation workers restore pottery near a new found in a tomb in Draa Abul Naga necropolis on Luxor's West Bank known as "KAMPP 161" during an announcement for the Egyptian Ministry of antiquities about new discoveries in Luxor, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Egypt's Antiquities Ministry says archaeologists have discovered two ancient tombs in the southern city of Luxor. The ministry said Saturday that one tomb has five entrances leading to a rectangular hall, and contains painted wooden funerary masks, clay vessels and a mummy wrapped in linen. (AP Photo/Hamada Elrasam)
Egyptian excavation workers restore a mummy in a newly discovered tomb on Luxor's West Bank known as "KAMPP 150" during an announcement for the Egyptian Ministry of antiquities about new discoveries in Luxor, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Egypt's Antiquities Ministry says archaeologists have discovered two ancient tombs in the southern city of Luxor. The ministry said Saturday that one tomb has five entrances leading to a rectangular hall, and contains painted wooden funerary masks, clay vessels and a mummy wrapped in linen. (AP Photo/Hamada Elrasam)
"It's truly an exceptional day," Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said. "The 18th dynasty private tombs were already known. But it's the first time to enter inside the two tombs."
Al-Anani said the discoveries are part of the ministry's efforts to promote Egypt's vital tourism industry, partially driven by antiquities sightseeing, that was hit hard by extremist attacks and political turmoil following the 2011 uprising.
The ministry said one tomb has a courtyard lined with mud-brick and stone walls and contains a six-meter (yard) burial shaft leading to four side chambers. The artifacts found inside were mostly fragments of wooden coffins. Wall inscriptions and paintings suggest it belongs to era between the reigns of King Amenhotep II and King Thutmose IV, both pharaohs of the 18th dynasty.
An Egyptian guard stands next to a funeral mural inside a newly discovered tomb on Luxor's West Bank known as "KAMPP 161" during an announcement for the Egyptian Ministry of antiquities about new discoveries in Luxor, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Egypt's Antiquities Ministry says archaeologists have discovered two ancient tombs in the southern city of Luxor. The ministry said Saturday that one tomb has five entrances leading to a rectangular hall, and contains painted wooden funerary masks, clay vessels and a mummy wrapped in linen. (AP Photo/Hamada Elrasam)
The other tomb has five entrances leading to a rectangular hall and contains two burial shafts located in the northern and southern sides of the tomb.
Among the artifacts found inside are funerary cones, painted wooden funerary masks, clay vessels, a collection of some 450 statues and a mummy wrapped in linen who was likely a top official. A cartouche carved on the ceiling bears the name of King Thutmose I of the early 18th dynasty, the ministry said.
Tourists photograph an entrance of a newly discovered tomb on Luxor's West Bank known as "KAMPP 150" during an announcement for the Egyptian Ministry of antiquities about new discoveries in Luxor, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Egypt's Antiquities Ministry says archaeologists have discovered two ancient tombs in the southern city of Luxor. The ministry said Saturday that one tomb has five entrances leading to a rectangular hall, and contains painted wooden funerary masks, clay vessels and a mummy wrapped in linen. (AP Photo/Hamada Elrasam)
Afterward, al-Anani headed to a nearby site where the famous Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut is located to open for the first time the temple's main sanctuary known as the "Holy of Holies."
Since the beginning of 2017, the Antiquities Ministry has made a string of discoveries in several provinces across Egypt — including the tomb of a royal goldsmith, in the same area and belonging to the same dynasty, whose work was dedicated to the ancient Egyptian god Amun.
Egyptian excavation workers guard a wooden statue on display near a new opened tomb known as "KAMPP 161" during an announcement for the Egyptian Ministry of antiquities about new discoveries in Luxor, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Egypt's Antiquities Ministry says archaeologists have discovered two ancient tombs in the southern city of Luxor. The ministry said Saturday that one tomb has five entrances leading to a rectangular hall, and contains painted wooden funerary masks, clay vessels and a mummy wrapped in linen. (AP Photo/Hamada Elrasam)
An Egyptian excavation worker restores funeral furniture found in a newly discovered tombon Luxor's West Bank known as "KAMPP 161" during an announcement for the Egyptian Ministry of antiquities about new discoveries in Luxor, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Egypt's Antiquities Ministry says archaeologists have discovered two ancient tombs in the southern city of Luxor. The ministry said Saturday that one tomb has five entrances leading to a rectangular hall, and contains painted wooden funerary masks, clay vessels and a mummy wrapped in linen. (AP Photo/Hamada Elrasam)
Egyptian excavation workers restore pottery near a new found in a tomb in Draa Abul Naga necropolis on Luxor's West Bank known as "KAMPP 161" during an announcement for the Egyptian Ministry of antiquities about new discoveries in Luxor, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Egypt's Antiquities Ministry says archaeologists have discovered two ancient tombs in the southern city of Luxor. The ministry said Saturday that one tomb has five entrances leading to a rectangular hall, and contains painted wooden funerary masks, clay vessels and a mummy wrapped in linen. (AP Photo/Hamada Elrasam)
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peruvian President Dina Boluarte was interrogated by prosecutors for five hours Friday as authorities investigate whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry.
Prosecutors have been investigating the highly unpopular leader on charges of illicit enrichment and failure to declare assets. After she gave testimony, Boluarte rolled out of the offices in a car with tinted windows, surrounded by police and security detail.
In a televised speech following the meeting, Boluarte responded to the allegations saying “everything they've said is false.” She flaunted one of her Rolex watches and a number of other golden bracelets and necklaces that spurred on the controversy, holding them up for the cameras and railing against critics.
“With respect to the watches, I should recognize that it was a mistake to have accepted (them) on loan,” she said. "As these watches are not my property, I was not obliged to declare them.”
While she said some of the jewelry was hers, she said she received the watches as a loan from Wilfredo Oscorima, the governor of the southern rural region of Ayacucho.
Boluarte's statements Friday appear to directly contradict previous comments she made saying the Rolex watches were “fruit of my labor,” working since she was 18.
The unfolding scandal is the latest turmoil that has wracked Peru’s political system in recent years.
The probe began in mid-March after the digital news program La Encerrona spotlighted Boluarte wearing a Rolex watch worth up to $14,000 in Peru. Other TV shows later reported that the leader was seen wearing at least two other Rolexes as well as a gold and diamond Cartier bracelet estimated to cost more than $54,000.
The controversy was quickly dubbed “Rolexgate” on social media.
Peruvian law requires officials to declare jewelry whose price exceeds $2,791, and it’s still not clear where the watches and hundreds of thousands of dollars in bank transfers came from.
The controversy will only add headwinds for Boluarte, who is unpopular with 86% of Peruvians, according to a March survey by the Institute of Peruvian Studies.
“She has no good governance, she’s rejected by the majority, her problems with the people are very serious,” said Alonso Cárdenas, political science professor at Peru’s Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University.
Earlier on Friday, scuffles broke out as opposing protesters gathered near the building, waiting for Boluarte to leave.
While a number of protestors came to defend the president carrying a sign reading “Dina resist,” others blocks away from the presidential palace railed against the embattled leader, carrying brooms and shouting “get them all out!” They were blocked by riot police, who drove them away with tear gas.
Last week, armed police officers broke down the front door of Boluarte’s house with a battering ram and entered the property to search for the watches. They did not find them, and moved on to the presidential palace, where they also weren't located.
Top prosecutor Juan Villena had said his office was expanding the scope of the investigation, given that investigators believe Boluarte has even more undeclared assets than they originally suspected.
The office estimated that her jewelry, including the Cartier bracelet and watches, may be worth as much as $500,000, and said she received more than $400,000 in “deposits of unknown origin” into her bank account.
Boluarte, a 61-year-old lawyer, was a modest district official before entering then-President Pedro Castillo’s government as vice president and social inclusion minister with a total monthly salary of $8,136 in July 2021. She became president in December 2022 — after Parliament dismissed Castillo — with a salary of $4,200 per month. Shortly after, she began wearing the watches in public.
The Andean nation is no stranger to political tumult. Peru has had six presidents in six years, following waves of political controversies. That doesn't mean Boluarte is soon to be ejected from the presidency. Analysts told The Associated Press she is unlikely to face any real consequences – at least in the short term. Sitting presidents in Peru can’t be charged with crimes while in office, and Congress will be reluctant to move forward with impeachment proceedings.
Boluarte's alliance with a coalition of congressional leaders means she will likely stay in office until 2026, said Will Freeman, a fellow of Latin American studies for the Council of Foreign Relations. Freeman says Boluarte is a “puppet” who has enabled the lawmakers to pass reforms that are slowly “dismantling democracy” so that they can stay in power.
Peru’s Congress on Thursday shot down two requests by a number of lawmakers to remove Boluarte from office. Boluarte called the motions “absurd” on Friday and thanked the congress for shooting them down.
Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Peru's President Dina Boluarte holds up her hand to show the ring and bracelet she is wearing, during a press conference at Government Palace, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Peru's President Dina Boluarte waves as she arrives to attend a press conference at Government Palace in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Peru's President Dina Boluarte points to the earrings she is wearing, during a press conference at Government Palace, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Peru's President Dina Boluarte shows her necklace, accompanied by her lawyers Mateo Castaneda, left, and Eduardo Barriga, during a press conference at Government Palace in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Peru's President Dina Boluarte shows her jewelry during a press conference at Government Palace in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
FILE - Peru's President Dina Boluarte talks to the press at the end of the Amazon Summit in Belem, Brazil, Aug. 8, 2023. Boluarte testified to prosecutors behind closed doors Friday, April 5, 2024, as authorities investigate whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)
Pedestrians walk past the public prosecutor's office where Peruvian President Dina Boluarte arrived to testify, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Police stand guard in the perimeters of the public prosecutor's office where Peruvian President Dina Boluarte arrived to testify, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
People run for cover as police launch tear gas to disperse demonstrators trying to reach Government Palace to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Boluarte testified to prosecutors behind closed doors Friday as authorities investigate whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
People run for cover as police launch tear gas to disperse demonstrators trying to reach Government Palace to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Boluarte testified to prosecutors behind closed doors Friday as authorities investigate whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
People run for cover as police launch tear gas to disperse demonstrators trying to reach Government Palace to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Boluarte testified to prosecutors behind closed doors Friday as authorities investigate whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Police and prosecutors stand outside President Dina Boluarte's house during a raid aimed at seizing luxury watches as part of a preliminary investigation into alleged illicit enrichment in Lima, Peru, Saturday, March 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
