Puerto Rico: Rivera Schatz removes Senator Héctor Joaquín Sánchez from committee chairmanship

Senator Héctor Joaquín Sánchez is no longer heading the Senate Committee on Public Services. Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz relieved him of the post at the lawmaker's own request. He also ordered that proceedings be opened before the Senate Ethics Commission. Rivera Schatz stated that he was deferring to the appropriate authorities and would await the outcome of their investigations.

At issue is a complaint regarding the presence of young people from Loíza, including minor students from a school, at a political event held in Camuy.

The senator's response

It was Héctor Joaquín Sánchez who made the complaint public on his social media accounts. According to him, the young people came on their own initiative with the verbal consent of their parents, and this will be proven.

He considers the complaint to be politically motivated and accuses opponents based in Loíza of pushing it from the shadows to use as a campaign tool. Their names and motives, he said, will be known at the end of the proceedings. Nevertheless, he declared himself open to a thorough investigation and promised to hand over the information in his possession to the ethics committee.

He presented his departure from the chairmanship as a precautionary and transparent measure. He affirmed that he will continue to serve the residents of his Carolina district. According to Metro Puerto Rico, he announced that he would make no further statements and concluded by saying that truth, decency, and dignity are proven through actions.

The authorities involved

Rivera Schatz stated that example, moral authority, and ethics must prevail without hindrance or excuse, in the Senate as well as throughout the government of Puerto Rico.

The following information comes from Metro Puerto Rico. The Department of Justice confirmed that a referral concerning the senator is being reviewed by its Public Integrity Division. Its director, prosecutor Ernesto Cabrera Lorenzo, gave no details while the review is ongoing.

The Department of Education indicated that its legal department is investigating two employees at a school in Loíza. The investigation follows a complaint filed by a student's mother. The Office of Government Ethics has also received a report concerning a school in the municipality, which remains under review.

What has not been established

Sources do not say what is specifically contained in the referral being examined by the justice system. Nor do they specify who filed the complaint targeting the senator, or whether the investigations will lead to charges.