(CNN Español) — The government of Puerto Rico announced Tuesday that it has sued more than 30 former officials convicted of corruption crimes, collaborators and even companies, in order to recover more than US$30 million in damages to the treasury.
The Department of Justice of Puerto Rico reported in a statement that this is the first lawsuit on the island in which the accused are charged – all convicted of corruption crimes, among whom are former legislators, former mayors and members of their government teams. , to name a few.
Among the defendants is the former mayor of Guaynabo, Ángel Pérez Otero, who was sentenced in February to more than 5 years in prison for the crimes of conspiracy, bribery of federal programs and extortion, according to the United States Department of Justice.
In addition to Pérez Otero, some of the defendants served as public officials, some from the mid-2000s until 2021, according to the Department of Justice.
“Justice Secretary Domingo Emanuelli Hernández revealed today that, after a complete and meticulous legal analysis, the Department of Justice filed 15 lawsuits before the Court of First Instance of San Juan, based on the Anti-Corruption Code for New Puerto Rico, for a total amount exceeding US$30 million,” said the statement dated Tuesday.
Records from the Department of Justice show that the 15 lawsuits include dozens of people accused of having caused damage to the Puerto Rican treasury.
CNN contacted the Department of Justice in Puerto Rico to find out if the defense of the accused presented any legal appeal and no response was received. Attempts are also being made to contact the defendants’ attorneys.
The institution points out that the Puerto Rican authorities have the ability to claim damage to public accounts.
“The Anti-Corruption Code allows you to claim, through civil lawsuits in state jurisdiction, public money that has been misappropriated or illegally appropriated, whether by officials or people in the private sector who have failed Puerto Rico. The monetary compensation is equivalent to three times the economic damage caused to the Government of Puerto Rico through acts of corruption,” the statement added.
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2024-06-26 21:19:10
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