Puerto Rico’s speaker of the House called for a special legislative session to begin impeachment proceedings for Gov. Ricardo Rosselló on Wednesday, after an expected announcement of his resignation did not materialize.
Rosselló “made a commitment” with lawmakers to make an announcement around 5 p.m., Puerto Rico Rep. Jose Melendez told CNN en Español. Rosselló had been expected to resign Wednesday after more than a week of protests, according to a source familiar with the situation.
“It’s after 8 p.m. and the governor has not kept his word,” Melendez said.
About an hour after the announcement was expected, Public Affairs Secretary Anthony Maceira told reporters outside the governor’s official residence that Rosselló was getting ready to make an announcement “directly to the people of Puerto Rico.” He has not yet spoken.
A team of legal experts was commissioned last week by Speaker of the House Carlos Johnny Méndez to review messages from the governor’s group chat and determine whether any crimes were committed.
Edgardo Roman Espada, president of the Puerto Rico Bar Association, said the trio of experts believe there’s evidence of five possible crimes, including illegal misuse of public office for personal gain, embezzlement, negligence as pertaining to fulfilling the duties of public office and violations of the government ethics law.