(CNN Spanish) — Former Governor of Puerto Rico Wanda Vázquez was accused of bribery charges related to the financing of her electoral campaign in 2020. If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison.
Vázquez was arrested early this Thursday in San Juan and is expected to appear in court in Puerto Rico in the next few hours.
Peter John Porrata, one of Vazquez’s attorneys, says his client will plead not guilty to the charges.
According to the FBI, the indictment alleges that between 2019 and 2020, Vázquez’s political advisers received more than $300,000 from various international bankers to finance his electoral campaign for the governorship of Puerto Rico.
As detailed in a press conference by the federal prosecutor of Puerto Rico, Stephen Muldrow, the money was delivered in exchange for Vázquez making appointments in the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions to benefit the businessmen allegedly involved in the bribery scheme.
Vázquez served as Governor of Puerto Rico from 2019 to 2021 and was Secretary of Justice before that.
Vázquez’s time as governor was controversial.
In January 2020, Puerto Ricans took to the streets of San Juan calling for his resignation after supplies for Hurricane Maria victims were found in a warehouse in the city of Ponce, more than two years after the storm, CNN reported. .
That same year, Puerto Rican officials confirmed that Wanda Vásquez was being investigated for suspicions of mishandling resources destined to mitigate the damage caused by the earthquake that occurred in January of that year.
“They have done a great injustice to me”
The former governor of Puerto Rico said she is innocent, after leaving the court where she was given a reading of the charges she faces.
“I reiterate to my people and to all of you, that I am innocent, you have committed a great injustice,” Vásquez told the media. “I can tell you, as I told you before in an interview that they did to me, that I am innocent, that I have not committed any crime, any irregularity,” he added. “Now it’s my turn to defend myself against all this they have done, but I assure you that they have committed a great injustice with me.”
During his appearance in front of the judge, bail was set at $50,000.
Vázquez was arrested this Thursday in San Juan, accused of bribery charges related to the financing of her electoral campaign in 2020.