Governor signs anticorruption measure into law.

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón

By THE STAR STAFF

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón signed into law three legislative measures on Wednesday, strengthening Puerto Rico’s anticorruption framework, expanding the prosecution window for major financial crimes, and honoring the life of a police officer who died in the line of duty.

One of the measures, Law 54-2026 (Senate Bill 921 / Administration Bill 096), is an administration-backed proposal authored by the governor to bolster the government’s anticorruption efforts. The law amends Act No. 2-2018, known as the Anticorruption Code for the New Puerto Rico, to add the commissioner of the Special Investigations Bureau (NIE by its acronym in Spanish) as a member of the Group for the Prevention and Eradication of Corruption.

The law also expands the group’s responsibilities, directing it to develop public policy aimed at combating corruption with a focus on prevention and identifying high-risk areas. In addition, the group will now conduct periodic evaluations of the effectiveness of existing legal tools, analyze patterns found in corruption cases, and assess risk areas identified through complaints and investigations handled by participating agencies.

The administration said the measure aligns with the governor’s platform and reinforces reforms enacted under Law 84-2025, which formally established the anticorruption group’s structure.

The governor also signed Law 55-2026, stemming from Senate Bill 676, authored by Sen. Carmelo Ríos Santiago and co-sponsored by Sens. Wilmer Reyes Berríos, Jeison Rosa Ramos, Brenda Pérez Soto and Rafael Santos Ortiz. The new law extends the statute of limitations from five to 10 years for the crimes of aggravated illegal appropriation, fraud, and money laundering when the amount involved is $500,000 or more, as defined under the Penal Code and related special laws.

The extension reflects the complexity and sophistication of large-scale financial crimes, which often require highly technical expertise and lengthy investigations involving specialized investigators, prosecutors and judges. By doubling the prescriptive period, the administration said prosecutors will have greater capacity to pursue cases that inflict significant harm on citizens’ financial stability.

“These crimes are difficult to detect and even more difficult to investigate once uncovered,” the administration said in a statement. “Extending the statute of limitations increases oversight and strengthens the effectiveness of criminal prosecutions.”

In a separate action, González signed Joint Resolution 22-2026 (Senate Joint Resolution 65), authored by Pérez Soto, designating State Road PR-683 in the municipality of Arecibo as “Teniente II Edwin Orlando Maldonado García Highway.”

Maldonado García was born on Feb. 2, 1967, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and raised in Arecibo. He earned a degree in criminal justice from Inter American University of Puerto Rico and joined the Puerto Rico Police Academy in 1986. He served for 37 years in the Puerto Rico Police Department, including assignments in the San Juan Traffic Division and the Surveillance Division at police headquarters.

According to the resolution, Maldonado García was known for his dedication, problem-solving skills, and lifelong love for animals. He was remembered as an exemplary father, husband, son, and grandfather, and as a man of deep faith.

Then-Sgt. Maldonado García died on July 19, 2023, after being struck by a vehicle on Román Baldorioty de Castro Avenue while attempting to rescue a stray cat.