Lawmaker chides House speaker for halting vehicle inspection centers probe.

Rep. José “Conny” Varela Fernández

By THE STAR STAFF

Popular Democratic Party Rep. José “Conny” Varela Fernández on Wednesday criticized House Speaker Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez for ordering a halt to a legislative investigation into alleged irregularities at island vehicle inspection centers.

“This decision does not serve the best interests of the people, nor the House of Representatives’ institutional obligation to oversee the government with independence and rigor,” Varela said.

Varela said the speaker’s order, issued on Tuesday, amounted to interference with the work of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Rep. José “Cheito” Hernández Concepción, and warned it would weaken legislative oversight and the separation of powers.

Méndez cited parallel investigations by the Department of Justice and the Independent Special Prosecutor Panel (PFEI by its initials in Spanish) as a reason for suspending the House probe.

But Varela said neither the Justice Department nor the FEI/PFEI has the public’s confidence, arguing that years of controversy and “questionable decisions” have fueled a perception that they are politicized. He said loss of credibility made the legislative investigation “indispensable.”

The veteran lawmaker from Caguas said the House has an independent constitutional duty to investigate matters of high public interest and propose corrective public policy, separate from any criminal inquiry. He praised Hernández Concepción, a member of the governing New Progressive Party, for pursuing the investigation despite potential political sensitivities, and said the speaker’s intervention cut short a process he described as serious and already producing findings. Varela also said he hoped La Fortaleza, the governor’s mansion, played no role in the decision.

The House’s legislative investigation into the vehicle inspection centers included a case tied to former Housing Secretary Ciary Pérez Peña.

Méndez’s directive was issued as the House debated testimony from Arturo Deliz Vélez, the former director of investigations and inspections at the Department of Transportation and Public Works, who is also under investigation.

Méndez acknowledged the Legislature’s broad investigative authority but said continuing a parallel inquiry while prosecutors investigate the same events could raise separation-of-powers concerns.