PDP accuses González Colón campaign of illegal fund transfers

Her campaign director says they were all ‘completely legal’

Popular Democratic Party Secretary General Juan Luis Camacho Semidei (Facebook via Juan Luis Camacho Semidei)

By The Star Staff

After the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) said on Sunday it would be filing a complaint against the campaign of New Progressive Party gubernatorial candidate Jenniffer González Colón on Sunday for making fund transfers that allegedly violate the law on political campaign financing, the González Colón campaign fired back, saying the complaint was groundless and merely another sign of growing desperation on the part of the flagging campaign of Jesús Manuel Ortiz González, the PDP candidate for governor.

PDP Secretary General Juan Luis Camacho Semidei said the party would be filing a complaint with the Office of the Electoral Comptroller of Puerto Rico directed against the González Colón campaign for violations of Law 222 on the Financing of Political Campaigns by transferring funds from the federal committee to the local committee for the NPP campaign for governor.

“There are a series of financial irregularities in the campaign committee of Jenniffer González that we have identified that clearly violate federal and local regulations on the use of campaign funds,” Camacho Semidei said at a press conference. “From the moment Jenniffer announced her candidacy for governor of Puerto Rico, she could not make expenses from the federal committee for local campaign matters. With her actions, Jenniffer González shows that she is more of the same and that she is willing to do whatever it takes to obtain more political power and reach the governorship, even if it means violating the law.” González Colón announced her candidacy for governor on Sept. 27, 2023, challenging the current governor, Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia, through television ads, so from that moment on, Camacho Semidei said, federal committee expenses could not be made. But all the same, the PDP leader said, the income and expense report for the month of October reflects that:

● On Sept. 26, there was income of $750,000 from a check from “Todos con Jenniffer, Inc.” (transfer from the federal committee to the local committee).

● For the same date, there was an expense of $60,875 in media purchases for campaign ads.

● For Sept. 27, expenses of $3,000 are shown as being paid to the Metro newspaper for a message on the news outlet’s Facebook account.

● Also shown in the report is a payment of $1,564.95 to Diseños Gráficos de Puerto Rico for “graphic design for the campaign,” the PDP secretary general detailed.

Also, on Nov. 30, when González Colón was already certified as a candidate for the primaries and in the process of obtaining endorsements, a payment to LUMA Energy of $11,072.65 was reported under the federal committee. In the local report it was stated that this payment was one in kind.

Camacho Semidei went on to note what he said were two more questionable payment processes, to LUMA Energy on Nov. 30, 2023, and to an island publicity firm in January 2024.

“To this end, a complaint will be filed with the Office of the Electoral Comptroller,” he added. “Likewise, a referral will be made to the state and federal departments of Justice to investigate for misappropriation of campaign funds. And to issue a fine of $5,000 against the committee.”

Francisco Domenech, González Colón’s campaign director, issued the following response in a press release:

“As the elections approach, the total desperation of a campaign that has not been able to achieve any acceptance from the people begins to be demonstrated, together with a total lack of knowledge of how the federal law on donations operates; the political opposition no longer knows what else to invent.”

“The expenses and transfers to which they have referred today are completely legal and there is not even a hint of irregularity,” Domenech continued. “Both federal and state regulations allow the transfer of funds and assets from a federal committee to a state one, as long as they are from the same candidate. That is the case with the transfers made by the committees of our candidate for governor. In fact, past resident commissioners of both parties have done so.”

Domenech noted that “[w]hat federal regulation requires is that these expenses be reported as transfers between committees and that they be awarded to a donor.”

“All expenses and transfers made by the campaign of our next governor have been reported in strict compliance with state and federal law,” he said.

“Before making any expenditure, our treasurer and our attorneys consulted with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Office of the Comptroller of Elections (OCE),” González Colón’s campaign director continued. “After these consultations, both entities gave their approval.”

Domenech expressed confidence that the electoral comptroller “can confirm the information provided here.”

“The Office of the Comptroller of Elections has audited our monthly reports and has not pointed out any irregularities in them, particularly with the transfers of funds made and expenses between the committees,” he said.