By The Star Staff
The Ethics Committee of the island House of Representatives in a majority vote agreed on Wednesday to move forward a complaint filed in September by House candidate Christian Rodríguez against New Progressive Party Rep. Wanda del Valle for the alleged improper use of her legislative office in Canóvanas to host a Temporary Electoral Registration Board (JIT by its initials in Spanish).
The House panel agreed in a 6-2 vote to move the complaint forward. Del Valle has 10 days to answer it.
Rodríguez indicated in the complaint that the lawmaker’s action directly violates the principles of impartiality and transparency of the electoral process, for which he criticized the alternate chairwoman of the State Elections Commission (SEC), Jessika Padilla Rivera, who acknowledged that allowing the installation of the JIT in the legislator’s office was an “error of judgment.”
Rodríguez pointed out that the JIT, which was originally to be installed in a bus terminal, was transferred without justification to del Valle’s office, creating an apparent conflict of interest.
“It is unacceptable that Representative del Valle, who is called to preserve the integrity of the electoral system, has facilitated such a flagrant violation of the rules designed to prevent political manipulation,” the candidate said. “This is not a simple ‘error of judgment’; it is an action that seriously compromises the fairness and credibility of our democratic process.”
The complaint filed by Rodríguez is based on the Puerto Rico Electoral Code of 2020 and House Resolution 326, which prohibit the use of public funds and property to obtain political benefits.
“Representative Wanda Del Valle has demonstrated an absolute lack of ethics by using her office for partisan purposes, manipulating public resources in her favor and that of the New Progressive Party,” Rodríguez said. “This is not only a clear violation of the law, but a blatant act of abuse of power that deserves strong consequences.”
“It is not enough to admit an ‘error of judgment,’” he continued. “The chair of the SEC has an obligation to act firmly to address this violation instead of minimizing its implications. She must guarantee a fair electoral process free of political influence.”
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