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Former Ponce Mayor Luis Manuel Irizarry Pabón pleaded guilty on Wednesday after reaching an agreement with the Office of the Special Independent Prosecutor Panel (OPFEI by its initials in Spanish).
The charges against Irizarry Pabón were amended to negligence in the performance of duty, under Article 263 of the Puerto Rico Penal Code, in its least serious form.
The agreement was presented to Judge Rafael Taboas Dávila at the Ponce Judicial Center, where defense attorneys Carlos Torres Nolasco and Carlos Padilla Montalvo informed the court that their client accepted responsibility for the events.
Irizarry Pabón initially faced charges of unjust enrichment and violations of the Government Ethics Law, related to the request and obtaining of money from municipal employees for the payment of a personal loan. However, special independent prosecutor Zulma Fúster Troche indicated that the charges were amended as part of the agreement.
As part of the conditions, the former mayor, who arrived at courtroom 405 supported by a walker and accompanied by family members, handed over a check for $25,000 to reimburse the OPFEI for the costs of the legal process.
During the preliminary hearing, several former officials of Irizarry Pabón’s administration testified, including former Chief of Staff Luis “el Oso” Báez Rodríguez, former director of the Infrastructure, Environment and Transportation Directorate (DIAT); Óscar Iván Nazario, former director of Municipal Emergency Management; Jorge Luis Mercado Santiago; and Ángel Gómez Vega, a former employee of the mayor’s Scheduling and Programming Office.
