Dignity Project senator denies filing complaint against Mercarder

By The Star Staff

Former Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administrator and political analyst Carlos Mercader has temporarily stepped down from his role on the talk show “Pelota Dura” on NotiUno amid allegations of domestic violence involving his partner, Senator Joanne Rodríguez Veve. This information was confirmed by the show’s host, Ferdinand Pérez, on Thursday.

Rodríguez Veve’s ex-husband, Jaime Sanabria Montañez, issued a statement asserting that the senator neither authorized nor participated in the drafting of a document detailing the alleged incidents of domestic violence, which had been leaked to several media outlets and shared on social media.

“Upon learning of this situation, we reached out to Mercader, and he agreed to voluntarily step back from the program until everything is clarified,” Pérez stated. “There has been a lot of speculation in recent days, but nothing has occurred beyond the letter that was recently published,” he added, referencing Sanabria Montañez’s statement that Rodríguez Veve had no involvement in filing an anonymous complaint regarding the alleged abuse involving Mercader.

The senator’s press contact, Ricardo Reyes Caparrós, shared these statements with the media. Sanabria Montañez clarified, “Regarding the document circulating on social media and in the press, I want to emphasize that Senator Joanne Rodríguez Veve did not authorize it, nor did she participate in its presentation. The official statement from the Women’s Advocate has already confirmed that the circulated document was altered, did not originate from her office, and was received anonymously.”

Women’s Advocate Astrid Piñeiro Vázquez reported the receipt of a letter containing these allegations. According to the details in the document, Mercader and Rodríguez Veve have been in a romantic relationship since March 2023, and the alleged incidents of gender-based violence occurred between January 2024 and August 2025. The document also outlines some of the alleged assaults that reportedly took place in front of the minors born to Rodríguez Veve and Sanabria Montañez. However, Sanabria Montañez categorically dismissed these claims as “false.”

“It is untrue that the children have witnessed incidents of violence as insinuated. We strongly reject this falsehood due to the harm it causes to their well-being,” he added.

Neither Mercader nor Senator Rodríguez Veve have made any public comments on the matter.Former Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administrator and political analyst Carlos Mercader has temporarily departed from Pelota Dura in NotiUno amid allegations of domestic violence involving his partner, Senator Joanne Rodríguez Veve.

The information was provided by the the show’s host, Ferdinand Pérez, on Thursday.

Nonetheless, Rodriguez Veve’s former husband, Jaime Sanabria Montañez, issued a statement asserting that the senator neither authorized nor participated in the drafting of a document detailing the alleged domestic violence incidents, leaked to various media outlets and in social media.

“The day we became aware of this situation, we contacted Mercader, and he agreed to voluntarily step back from the program until everything is clarified,” Perez said.