Aguadilla mayor answers allegations regarding an FBI probe
By The Star Staff
Aguadilla Mayor Julio Roldán Concepción responded to allegations Tuesday that the FBI is investigating him on possible corruption charges.
According to TeleOnce, the FBI is investigating the mayor for granting municipal contracts to a construction company that, in turn, has performed work on one of his properties.
Roldán said the report left many questions unanswered and upset his family and Aguadilla constituents.
The news report mentioned a complaint filed against the mayor and reported by the local media on Oct. 25, 2022.
“What was not said about this complaint is that the person who filed it was former Family secretary and former mayor defeated by me in the 2020 elections, Yanitzia Irizarry, the same one who, due to her immaturity and obstinacy, cost the Treasury thousands of dollars spent in three recount processes in the State Election Commission,” Roldán said.
The mayor denied he used a contractor from the Municipality of Aguadilla for a construction project on his private property.
“I inform you that we have evidence of payments made to the company that carried out the work, which has no relationship with the [aforementioned municipal] contractor,” he said.
The report shows a visual of the mayor’s campaign committee headquarters under the premise that the mayor owns it.
“I inform you that these facilities are rented, and there is evidence of payment to whoever carried out the renovations in these facilities,” Roldán said.
“Like every elected official, I have to annually submit a thorough Government Ethics report, which reports and includes all information on expenses, income, properties, banking transactions, and other information,” he said. “My documents provided in the report are current and without any indication [of wrongdoing].”
The mayor told reporters that when it comes to information that is so sensitive and that calls a person’s integrity into question, it must be reported with great care.
“We cannot report on or implicate anyone with assumptions or allegations,” Roldán said. “I will not be the last person to be included in allegations like these; many have been implicated and time was the best witness to the truth.”