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Para ver esta página en español, oprima aquí. Ferre’s Pneumonia Not Improving… Fortuño Raises Almost Quarter Million Dollars… Prats Collects Over $97,000 In Three Months… Poll: NPP Gubernatorial Candidates Close… Pagan Santini Sentenced for AIDS Institute Fraud… Tirado May Claim Immunity in Ramos Case… Ventura Asilis Reconfirms Bribes To Oscar Ramos… President G.H.W. Bush Concerned About Ferre
Ferre’s Pneumonia Not Improving October 16, 2003 SAN JUAN (AP) — Former Gov. Luis A. Ferre’s pneumonia has not improved, and the former governor needed a blood cleaning on Tuesday night, his primary physician, Juan Montes, said Wednesday. The doctor said the 99-year-old former governor remains in critical condition, and his medical team "hopes for the best but is preparing for the worst." "He needed dialysis last night, and the pneumonia has not considerably improved," Montes said during a press conference at Hospital Metropolitano, where Ferre has been hospitalized since Sept. 29. He said antibiotics usually take effect 24 to 48 hours after being administered, but that has not happened for the New Progressive Party founder. "He has remained more or less on a plateau; he has not improved as we had expected, but neither has he worsened to a level of panic," he said. Montes said despite his delicate condition, Ferre remains alert. "One thing that is pretty surprising is that he has been responding to questions the whole time and maintains contact with the people around him," the doctor said. "We can’t lose sight of the fact that Don Luis is 99 years old," he added. Ferre has been hospitalized in intensive care since Sept. 29, when he was taken in for an infection of the urinary tract. Once he recovered from that condition, he suffered an intestinal obstruction and underwent surgery to remove it.
Fortuño Raises Almost Quarter Million Dollars October 16, 2003 SAN JUAN (AP) — New Progressive Party resident commissioner primary candidate Luis Fortuño raised almost a quarter of a milion dollars in the three months of his campaign, according to a report filed with the Federal Elections Commission. According to published reports, Fortuño raised $223,642 between July and September. In that same period, Fortuño’s opponents took in substantially less. Former Gov. Carlos Romero Barcelo collected $63,850; former Senate President Charlie Rodriguez received $44,446; and Sen. Miriam Ramirez raised $22,995. Among Fortuños’ donors are former Justice secretaries Jose Fuentes Agostini ($1,099) and Pedro Pierluisi ($1,000), former Recreation & Sports Secretary Marimer Olazagasti ($1,569), and Panamerican Health Organization Director Joxel Garcia. Fortuño’s expenses are also notable: in only three months, he has spent $158,083. Romero Barcelo’s expenses total $40,375 in three months. This does not include payments on the debt of his campaign for his attempt to win the same post in 2000, which totals $85,172.
Prats Collects Over $97,000 In Three Months October 16, 2003 SAN JUAN (AP) — In the past three months, Popular Democratic Party (PDP) Sen. Roberto Prats has raised over $97,000 to fund his campaign for resident commissioner. According to the most recent report filed with the Federal Elections Commission, Prats collected a total of $97,707 between July and September. The total income of Prats’ campaign is now $135,532, including the $37,000 collected during the April to June trimester, according to published reports. The list of donors to Prats include publicist Juan Arteaga ($2,000), attorney Salvador Antonetti ($1,000), former WIPR President Eduardo Rivero Albino ($500), and a group of employees of Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey ($1,000). As for expenses, Prats has already spent $68,154, which represents half of his campaign contributions. For his part, Resident Commissioner Anibal Acevedo Vila, the PDP gubernatorial candidate, has paid off his debt from the 2000 campaign, according to the report he filed.
Poll: NPP Gubernatorial Candidates Close October 16, 2003 SAN JUAN (AP) — A telephone poll commissioned by New Progressive Party (NPP) President Carlos Pesquera’s gubernatorial campaign committee revealed that if the NPP gubernatorial primary were held today, the race between the candidates would be close. According to the poll, former Gov. Pedro Rossello would come out ahead with 46.1%, closely followed by Pesquera with 42.9%. "If the primaries were now, Rossello would win the election with an advantage of 3.2% over Pesquera," according to published reports. However, the difference between the candidates is within the poll’s 4% margin of error. "It is a close race in which the winner cannot be predicted," according to the poll. Of the remaining voters, 6.7% said they were undecided, 2.3% answered that they wouldn’t vote for either, and 2% did not issue a response. For the poll, 1,093 telephone calls were made, and 681 people answered -199 in the metropolitan zone and 482 throughout the rest of the island. The island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra were included. The poll also showed that 9.35% of NPP voters would not support Rossello because of the corruption cases during his administration, and 7.5% said they would cross party lines to vote for the Popular Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate, Resident Commissioner Anibal Acevedo Vila, if Rossello were the NPP gubernatorial candidate.
Pagan Santini Sentenced for AIDS Institute Fraud October 16, 2003 SAN JUAN (AP) - Microbiologist Rafael Pagan Santini, convicted of four criminal charges related to a scheme to cover up evidence in the million-dollar fraud case of the AIDS Institute, was sentenced Thursday to a year and a half in prison. Pagan Santini will serve the sentence in a prison in Florida. U.S. District Court Judge Salvador Casellas also fined the microbiologist $400 and ordered him to return $2,500, as well as to serve three years of probation when his prison term ends. In his speech in open court before hearing the sentence, Pagan Santini apologized to Puerto Ricans and Americans and said he was "deeply ashamed" of having helped the mastermind of the fraud scheme, Yamil Kouri, whom he didn’t mention by name. "I am even more ashamed that I extended him my hand," he said about a previous trial in which he testified on Kouri’s behalf. In June, a jury found Pagan Santini guilty of perjury, fabrication of evidence, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to obstruct justice and commit perjury.
Tirado May Claim Immunity in Ramos Case October 16, 2003 By Manuel Ernesto Rivera of Associated Press Popular Democratic Party Sen. Cirilo Tirado said Wednesday that he is considering claiming legislative immunity to avoid giving testimony in the corruption trial of Rep. Oscar Ramos. Tirado has been called to testify in the preliminary hearing against Ramos, accused of five charges of aggravated bribery. "At the given time, we will decide what we will do, but at this moment, I repeat that I have nothing to contribute that would benefit Ramos. I don’t know why they’re calling me," the senator said. Tirado conducted two Senate investigations of Ramos’ work as administrator of the State Insurance Fund Corp. under Gov. Pedro Rossello’s administration. Tirado was called to testify for the defense by Ramos’ attorney, Michael Corona, and the senator said Corona did not tell him the subject of his testimony.
Ventura Asilis Reconfirms Bribes To Oscar Ramos By Manuel Ernesto Rivera of Associated Press October 16, 2003 As the main witness against Rep. Oscar Ramos, convicted businessman Jose "Cuqui" Ventura Asilis reasserted Wednesday that he paid $60,000 in bribes when the accused served as administrator of the State Insurance Fund Corp. In the preliminary hearing to determine whether there is cause for a trial against Ramos, accused of five charges of aggravated bribery, Ventura Asilis testified that he made four payments in cash to the former official between April and November 1998. The hearing recessed Wednesday and will continue Monday at 1:30 p.m. if the Appellate Court does not order its postponement, which the defense has requested. Ramos remains free on bail and reiterated outside the courtroom of San Juan Superior Court Judge Wanda Cruz that he is innocent. He also said "he would authorize in writing" that the press have access to a video that Ventura Asilis made while he was wired by federal authorities. According to Ramos’ attorney, Michael Corona, the recording is exculpatory because his client is heard denying that he received payments from the businessman. However, Cruz dismissed a motion of the defense for the video to be admitted as exculpatory evidence. The judge also denied a motion by Corona requesting that the trial be suspended for 10 days until he can appeal her ruling on the recording before the Circuit Court of Appeals. The charges against Ramos are related to contracts he granted to Ventura Asilis when he was administrator of the State Insurance Fund, allegedly in exchange for the $60,000.
President G.H.W. Bush Concerned About Ferre By Leonardo Aldridge of Associated Press October 12, 2003 Former President George H.W. Bush said Friday he was very concerned about the health of former Gov. Luis A. Ferre, who is hospitalized in an intensive care unit. Ferre, 99, underwent surgery for an intestinal blockage on Oct. 1. He was initially hospitalized with a urinary tract infection Sept. 29. "I am very concerned about his health," Bush, 79, said via telephone from Maine, where he lives. "He's a friend, and I like him very much." Ferre spokesman Ricardo Chacon said Bush called the former governor's wife, Tiody Ferre, Friday to ask about his health and express "interest in coming to Puerto Rico in February to celebrate Ferre's 100th birthday." However, Bush said that due to his "busy schedule," he does not foresee visiting the island, who he said he has visited "many times."
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