Puerto Rico’s independent special prosecutor’s office has assigned a third prosecutor to its investigation into former La Fortaleza secretary Francisco Domenech and three other former officials, citing the scope of the case.
The Oficina del Panel sobre el Fiscal Especial Independiente (OPFEI) named attorney Arcelio Maldonado Avilés as a delegate prosecutor in a resolution dated Sept. 8, reinforcing the team investigating Domenech and former OGPe deputy secretary Norberto Almodóvar. The probe also covers former Governor’s office deputy secretary Itza García and former OGPe chief of staff Charlene Neuman Rivera.
“That case could continue normally, or it could get even more complicated. The prosecutors have too much work,” OPFEI president Ygrí Rivera told El Nuevo Día, explaining the decision to add Maldonado Avilés. The office’s resolution called the investigation “not only extremely broad and complex, but also subject to the deadlines our organic law establishes.”
Maldonado Avilés joins special prosecutor Fabiola Acarón Porrata-Doria, who leads the case, and delegate prosecutor Ileana Agudo Calderón — bringing the total assigned to three.
Case originated with a DDEC referral
The investigation stems from a complaint filed by former DDEC secretary Sebastián Negrón Reichard, after an internal review flagged alleged irregularities in a competitive bidding process for a federally funded advertising contract managed by the Office of Permit Management (OGPe), part of DDEC. Domenech and García are accused of allegedly interfering with bidding processes and tax-decree evaluations at DDEC, and of advocating for contracts benefiting political allies.
Among the matters previously raised in connection with the broader case is a tax decree tied to the Opus Miramar development, which Condado Daily has covered separately. Domenech and García left their government posts in early August amid the investigation.
Related coverage: Inside the Opus Miramar Controversy: Tax Incentives, Public Land and Allegations of Political Pressure
Sources: El Nuevo Día
