Puerto Rico’s governor announced Tuesday that her chief of staff, Francisco Domenech, and deputy chief of staff, Itza García, will resign next month. Their departures come as they face corruption allegations and investigations by an independent state agency into alleged irregularities at Puerto Rico’s Office of Permit Management.
Domenech also served as executive director of Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority. The allegations surfaced in May when Puerto Rico’s former economic development chief, Sebastián Negrón, resigned and accused Governor Jenniffer González’s administration of interfering with the agency’s work. More than 10 other officials also resigned, including the agency’s chief of staff, general counsel, and finance chief.
Negrón accused Domenech of irregularities related to contract processing and undue government interference, claims Domenech has denied. García was reportedly accused of pressuring Negrón to appoint the wife of the president of Politank, a lobbying firm founded by Domenech, to the Office of Permit Management.
Negrón also referred findings from an internal investigation to Puerto Rico’s Justice Department and its Office of Government Ethics. This investigation concerned two government officials accused of interfering in a contract auction process involving federal funds.
Calls for Domenech and García to resign had been growing, including from members of the governor’s own party, such as Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz. Schatz had referred García to Puerto Rico’s Office of the Special Independent Prosecutor’s Panel and the Office of Government Ethics.
Governor González thanked Domenech and García for their service. She stated that she would not allow her administration’s work to be “silenced” by “agendas and continuous attacks.”
Domenech and García made brief statements. Domenech said he was returning to private life with “the peace of mind of having served with integrity.” García spoke of her professional growth and the privilege of her role, adding, “I am concluding this chapter, but not my commitment to Puerto Rico.”
Domenech had previously submitted sworn statements against Negrón, alleging corruption and conflicts of interest, which Negrón denied. On Friday, Domenech stated he was informed of the investigation by the Office of the Special Independent Prosecutor’s Panel, calling Negrón’s allegations “riddled with lies, half-truths, documents tailored to suit a narrative, subjective characterizations and distortions.”
The unfolding crisis has drawn the attention of some federal legislators, who are questioning the appropriate use of federal funds.