The short version
- El Nuevo Día and El Vocero reported that the Department of Justice's Public Integrity Division is evaluating a referral involving Sen. Héctor Joaquín Sánchez Álvarez
- Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz relieved Sánchez of the chairmanship of the Commission on Transportation, Telecommunications, Public Services and Consumer Affairs and ordered an ethics probe, per the senator's request
- Sánchez stated the complaint concerns youths from Loíza who attended a political activity in Camuy with their parents' verbal authorization and called it politically motivated
- The Department of Education is investigating two Loíza school officials and the Office of Government Ethics is evaluating a related complaint about a school in Loíza
Referral under review
The Department of Justice confirmed it is evaluating a referral related to Sen. Héctor Joaquín Sánchez Álvarez of the New Progressive Party. El Nuevo Día reported that the Public Integrity and Comptroller Affairs Division received the referral. Director prosecutor Ernesto Cabrera Lorenzo stated the division is evaluating the matter but would issue no further comments while it remains active to protect the process's integrity and confidentiality.
According to the senator, the referral concerns the participation of youths from Loíza in a political activity held in Camuy. Sánchez said the youths attended out of their own interest and with verbal authorization from their parents. He added that the complaint has a political tint pushed by opponents of the New Progressive Party in Loíza. El Vocero reported that the Department of Education is separately investigating two officials from a school in Loíza following a complaint by the mother of a student. The Office of Government Ethics confirmed it received a complaint related to a school in Loíza that is under evaluation by its Investigations and Administrative Processing Area.
Also on PuertoRico.com: Camuy travel guide
What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
Confirmamos que la División de Integridad Pública y Oficina de Asuntos del Contralor del Departamento de Justicia se encuentra evaluando un referido relacionado con el senador Héctor Joaquín Sánchez Álvarez
Our translation: We confirm that the Public Integrity Division and Comptroller Affairs Office of the Department of Justice is evaluating a referral related to Sen. Héctor Joaquín Sánchez Álvarez
The source's own statement, as quoted by El Nuevo Día. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Conforme a las circunstancias y a la propia petición del senador, se procede con el relevo de la presidencia de la Comisión y, además, se ordena el inicio del procedimiento ético
Our translation: In accordance with the circumstances and the senator's own request, we proceed with the removal from the commission presidency and, in addition, order the initiation of the ethics procedure
The source's own statement, as quoted by El Vocero. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Senate actions
Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz announced that Sánchez requested to be relieved of his position as chairman of the Commission on Transportation, Telecommunications, Public Services and Consumer Affairs. Rivera Schatz said the senator also asked for the Senate Ethics Committee to conduct the corresponding investigation. El Nuevo Día reported that Rivera Schatz stated the Senate trusts the competent authorities' procedures and will await the investigation results. He added that moral authority and ethics must proceed without obstacles or excuses.
Sánchez shared on social media that he will deliver to the Senate Ethics Committee all information he has received and will continue to cooperate with any investigation. He expressed confidence that the truth will prevail and said this will not distract him from working for his constituents in the Carolina district. El Vocero reported that at the time of publication authorities were still awaiting further comment from the senator.
Where the sources differ
All three reports agree that the Department of Justice is evaluating a referral involving Sen. Héctor Joaquín Sánchez Álvarez and that he requested and received relief from his committee chairmanship while the Senate Ethics Committee begins its process. El Nuevo Día and both El Vocero articles quote prosecutor Ernesto Cabrera Lorenzo and Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz using nearly identical language. El Vocero articles add that the Department of Education is investigating two school officials in Loíza after a mother's complaint and that the Office of Government Ethics is also evaluating a related complaint about a school in Loíza; El Nuevo Día does not mention these parallel inquiries. The first El Vocero story explicitly links the complaint to minors from a Loíza school while the second is more cautious, citing unnamed sources.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state when the referral was received, the exact allegations it contains, or the date of the Camuy political activity. They provide no information on whether any laws or regulations were allegedly violated, the number or ages of the youths involved, or when the various investigations might conclude. No timetable for the Senate Ethics Committee process or possible outcomes was given.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Official Justicia evalúa referido relacionado con Héctor Joaquín Sánchez: ¿qué se alega y qué medidas tomó el Senado?
- Official Héctor Joaquín Sánchez deja presidencia de comisión senatorial tras querella en su contra
- Reporting Justicia evalúa referido relacionado con Héctor Joaquín Sánchez: ¿qué se alega y qué medidas tomó el Senado?
- Reporting Héctor Joaquín Sánchez deja presidencia de comisión senatorial tras querella en su contra
- Reporting Justicia evalúa referido relacionado con Héctor Joaquín Sánchez
How we checked this
El Nuevo Día and El Vocero both reported the Department of Justice confirmation and the senator's and Senate president's statements. Details about the Department of Education and Office of Government Ethics investigations appear only in the El Vocero articles. The precise content of the complaint rests on the senator's own account in both outlets.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.
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