Puerto Rico's Office of the Comptroller is conducting 24 investigations into government corruption on the island, the office reported.
The investigations focus on the central government, public corporations, and the island's municipal governments, according to office spokeswoman Lisandra Rivera.
The office is collaborating with a variety of Puerto Rican and federal agencies in the investigations, Rivera said. It is collaborating with the Puerto Rico Department of Justice on 17 cases, the Puerto Rico Treasury Department on one case, and the Puerto Rico Office of Ethics on two cases.
In addition, the office is working with the FBI on one case, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education on two cases, and Immigration Service and Customs Enforcement in the U.S. Office of Homeland Security on one case.
A total of 31 auditors in the office are working on the investigations, Rivera said.
In early December 2015 the FBI arrested 10 Puerto Rican officials and businessmen for corruption and related charges. These arrests were centered on the schemes of Anaudi Hernández Pérez, who had been in charge of campaign finances for the Popular Democratic Party. Puerto Rico's governor and a majority of legislators in both legislative branches belong to the PDP.
Since the arrests Hernández Pérez has pled guilty to a number of the charges and been sentenced to prison. A number of the other defendants have also pled guilty.
When the FBI made the December arrests Carlos Cases, special agent in charge of the San Juan division of the FBI, said that the FBI would continue to attack corruption with an "undeniable and fervent passion…. Let there be no doubt that this is only the beginning and the investigation will continue."
Cases also said, "Unfortunately, this is one more case of graft, greed, and corruption that over the last 20 years have contributed to the government of Puerto Rico's fragile economic condition and [placed it] on the brink of bankruptcy."
