Puerto Rico chief of staff and deputy step down amid corruption allegations

Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González announced that her chief of staff, Francisco Domenech, and deputy chief of staff, Itza García, will resign next month. Both deny the accusations and are under investigation by an independent state agency for alleged irregularities at the Office of Permit Management.

The controversy stems from accusations made by former economic development chief Sebastián Negrón, who resigned earlier and claimed the administration interfered with agency work. More than ten other officials from the Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority have also resigned. Calls for Domenech and García to step down have come from members of the governor’s own party, including Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, who referred García to the Special Independent Prosecutor’s Panel and the Office of Government Ethics.

The governor thanked the two officials for their service, emphasizing the need to protect the administration from “continuous attacks.” Neither Domenech nor García addressed the allegations directly in their brief statements.