Puerto Rico: Domenech Faces Complaint for Hiring Janet Parra as His Lawyer After Having Her Paid by the Government

The Oficina de Ética Gubernamental (OEG) accuses Francisco Domenech Fernández, former secretary of the Gobernación, of violating the ethics law by taking on Janet Parra Mercado as his lawyer after leaving office. The complaint is dated October 29. Domenech has 20 days to respond.

What the OEG Alleges

According to the OEG, Article 4.6(c) of the law bars a former public official, for one year after leaving office, from entering into a contract with a private party over whom they took official action in the year before their departure. The agency argues that Domenech did exactly that by authorizing payment to Janet Parra and then choosing her to represent him.

Domenech left his post on August 7, 2026. Three days later, media outlets reported that he had hired Janet Parra, a former secretary of Justice, to defend him in the investigation being conducted by the Panel sobre el Fiscal Especial Independiente. According to the complaint, a resolution in that case was served on August 28, and Domenech received it through the lawyer.

The $125,000 Contract

On August 18, 2025, Domenech and Orlando Rivera Berríos, director of the Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto, electronically signed the authorization of a $125,000 contract in favor of Janet Parra. The contract involved the Corporación del Fondo del Seguro del Estado and ran through June 30, 2026. Enid Ortiz Rodríguez, then the agency's administrator, entered into it.

The OEG is seeking the penalties provided by law and a civil fine of up to three times the value of any economic benefit received. It is also asking, where applicable, for the return of public funds.

Domenech's Response

According to Noticel, Domenech responded in writing that the complaint rests on an overbroad reading of the law and that it infringes on the constitutional right to be defended by the lawyer of one's choice. He argues that it alleges neither personal gain from his position nor misuse of public funds, and that the lawyer's fees are paid out of his own pocket. He also says he knows of no precedent in which the OEG has interpreted the law this way.

A Second Complaint

The OEG has filed another complaint, this one against Itza Marie García Rodríguez, former undersecretary of the Gobernación. It accuses her of favoring a $120,000 contract for the company Next Wave Solutions, which is run by her partner.