Bloomberg — Puerto Rico’s former governor and secretary of justice, Wanda Vazquez, was arrested Thursday morning on corruption charges, the latest in a string of high-profile arrests of public sector figures.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice confirmed her arrest, which was first reported by El Nuevo Dia newspaper. The US Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico has called an 11 a.m. press conference to discuss the case.
Vazquez became the leader of the US Commonwealth during the tumultuous summer of 2019 when Governor Ricardo Rossello left office after the contents of a crass and snarky private chat group he was in were revealed, sparking mass protests. Then-Secretary of State Pedro Pierluisi briefly became governor only to be sidelined by congress, thrusting Vazquez -- the secretary of justice at the time -- into the top political spot.
Vazquez lost her bid to be governor for a second term in 2020 to Pierluisi.
“Today, we see once again, that no one is above the law in Puerto Rico,” Pierluisi said in a statement. “We all have to be united against this social evil, and under my administration, there is zero tolerance for corruption.”
The US territory of 3.2 million people has been rattled by a rash of public corruption allegations that have swept up at least 10 current and former mayors.
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