Special Prosecutors Assigned to Investigate the Governor of Puerto Rico and Other Senior Officials

A man passes his bicycle in front of a destroyed house in Guanica, Puerto Rico, on January 15, 2020, after the earthquake that affected the island (Ricardo Arduengo / AFP / Getty Images).

(CNN Spanish) - The investigation against the governor Wanda Vázquez and other high officials of her government for the management of supplies and aid for the victims of the earthquake that affected the island in January is advancing in Puerto Rico.

The Panel on the Independent Special Prosecutor confirmed on Monday that it accepted the recommendation of the Puerto Rico Department of Justice and assigned a special prosecutor for the case. It made the decision "upon concluding that there is sufficient cause to order that a thorough investigation be carried out into the infractions of the law attributed to the officials who were referred to," says part of the press release issued by the Panel.

This is attorney Leticia Pabón Ortiz, who was designated as an independent special prosecutor, while attorney Miguel A. Colón Ortiz was appointed deputy prosecutor.

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Mariana Cobián, press spokeswoman for Wanda Vázquez, told CNN that "there is no expression at the moment" and that "she already spoke about it at the July 7 conference."

This arises two weeks after the then Secretary of Justice of Puerto Rico, Denisse Longo, resigned her post at the request of the governor herself. Upon her departure, Longo expressed in a press release that the first president was under investigation.

“In the month of January, an investigation was started regarding the management of supplies from ADSEF (Administration of Socioeconomic Development of the Family), under the case 2020-31-102-00007. After preliminary evaluation of the same, on March 11, 2020, the OPFEI (Office of the Panel of the Independent Prosecutor) was notified that the Governor and other senior officials were the card of this investigation, ”the statement said.

During March, April and May, prosecutors from the Division of Public Integrity interviewed witnesses, reviewed evidence and wrote a report summarizing their findings. A report was presented to me in June, which we discussed and reviewed, ”added the former secretary.

Vazquez appeared at that time before the media and said he was unaware that there was an investigation against him. He assured that he had not seen reports regarding her as governor by the Justice, adding: "if there are, send them."

Regarding the reasons for Longo's resignation request, Vázquez said that "it was due to improper intervention in a federal investigation related to the Department of Health" that, according to the governor, refers to an alleged Medicaid fraud between 2014 and 2019 through contracts that the Department of Health signed when Longo's mother was undersecretary of the area.

Earthquakes