PFEI won’t investigate women’s advocate over disclosure of info regarding Rodríguez Veve

By THE STAR STAFF

The Panel on the Independent Special Prosecutor (PFEI by its initials in Spanish) dismissed a complaint against the Women’s Advocate, Astrid Piñeiro Vázquez, concluding there was insufficient evidence to attribute to her the disclosure of confidential information regarding an alleged domestic violence incident involving Sen. Joanne Rodríguez Veve.

“We acknowledge and understand the Senator’s concern regarding the circulation of personal information and the impact she stated she experienced,” the PFEI stated in its resolution. “However, such circumstances -- even when considered alongside her objections to the Advocate’s public statements -- do not substitute for the evidence needed to establish probable cause to believe she engaged in criminal conduct.”

The decision adopted the Justice Department’s recommendation not to appoint an independent special prosecutor to investigate Piñeiro Vázquez. The inquiry yielded no evidence linking the official to the offenses under consideration.

Rodríguez Veve had raised concerns regarding potential violations of provisions within the Violence Against Women Act, the Law for the Prevention of and Intervention in Domestic Violence, the Crime Victims and Witnesses Bill of Rights, and the Law on Transparency and Expedited Procedure for Access to Public Information.

As part of the preliminary investigation, the Public Integrity and Comptroller Affairs Division examined documents, statements from interviewees, investigations related to the events, and public statements attributed to the women’s advocate.

“The case file did not yield sufficient evidence that the Advocate had made the initial disclosure, participated in it, or subsequently revealed protected information as defined by the criminal provisions analyzed,” the PFEI maintained. “Nor was the necessary evidence identified to attribute to her the mental state required for the offenses examined.”