the mayor of MayagüezJosé Guillermo “Guillito” Rodríguez, arrived today, Friday, at the Office of the Panel on the Special Independent Prosecutor (Opfei) for the signing, after the criminal complaints filed against him. Upon his arrival, he refused to resign from the position he has held for 29 years due to allegations of embezzlement and dereliction of duty.
“We have a mandate”Rodríguez stated succinctly upon arrival at 2:14 pm at the PFEI offices in Plaza Mercantil, in Hato Rey.
Rodríguez arrived accompanied by his lawyer, Harry Padilla, who acknowledged that he was surprised by the determination of cause for arrest issued by Judge Iraida Rodríguez.
The municipal finance manager, Yahaira Valentín, also arrived separately, accompanied by her lawyer, Jorge Parga. Parga cataloged the case as “a material fabrication of evidence”.
“This is an intercontinental theft that has been inflated with altered information and it is a material fabrication of the evidence, which you will see in preliminary hearing when we have the full rights of cross-examination and of sitting the witnesses, you will see the resultParga mentioned.