By The Star Staff
The Special Independent Prosecutor Panel (PFEI by its Spanish initials) confirmed on Wednesday the filing of a court case against former Treasury Secretary Raúl Maldonado Gautier.
On Friday at 9 a.m. a Rule 6 hearing will be held for the filing of charges against the former official under the administration of one-time Gov. Ricardo Rosselló Nevares.
The hearing will take place via Zoom, from the San Juan Superior Court Investigation Chamber.
The accusation is allegedly related to an infraction of the Government Ethics Law.
In June 2021, after receiving a new forensic audit report on Maldonado Gautier’s financial reports, the PFEI ordered the consolidation of the ends of the ongoing investigation into the former executive branch official who also served as La Fortaleza chief of staff.
By resolution, the PFEI granted an additional 60 days to special independent prosecutors Juan Catalá Suárez and Manuel Núñez Corrada to investigate new content in a detailed report submitted by Government Ethics Office (GEO) Executive Director Luis Pérez Vargas.
According to the GEO, Maldonado Gautier may have engaged in possible violations of legal provisions contained in the Ethics Law and the Penal Code of Puerto Rico.
The GEO’s forensic audit revealed that the former official may have made a false and fraudulent presentation of the data to hide situations that could involve violations of the law and conflict of interest.