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Judge William Machado Aldarondo from the Mayagüez Court of First Instance has announced Nov. 7 as the commencement date for the trial involving the suspended mayor of Mayagüez, José Guillermo Rodríguez.
This trial was arranged earlier this week as the mayor’s legal team submitted an appeal to the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, which is currently awaiting a decision.
In July, a panel from the Court of Appeals, consisting of judges Laura Ortiz Flores, Maritere Brignoni Martí, and Carlos Candelaria Rosa, confirmed the rejection of the motion to dismiss the conspiracy and misappropriation of public funds charges against Rodríguez and the municipal finance director, Yahaira Valentín Andrade.
This ruling affirmed the actions taken by special prosecutors Leticia Pabón Ortiz and Ileana Agudo Camareno throughout the preliminary hearing.
The allegations against Rodríguez and Valentín Andrade pertain to the misallocation of $9.8 million designated for the completion of phases five and six of the Mayagüez Trauma Center, with those funds having been placed in an investment account in New York.
