The chief of staff of the UK prime minister is a cooperating witness for the US authorities in the case once morest the former governor Wanda Vázquez GarcedEnglish media reported yesterday.
Is regarding Mark Fullbrookwho has also been the main adviser and right-hand man of Liz Trusswho leads the British government since this September.
According to The Sunday Times newspaper, Fullbrook was interviewed by officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI, for its acronym in English) regarding his alleged participation in the scheme to influence elections in Puerto Rico.
“Today it can be revealed that (Fulbrook) was involved in an alleged conspiracy to subvert democracy in Puerto Rico,” The Sunday Times reported.
According to the journalistic report, Fullbrook began to be investigated by the Federal Department of Justice and the FBI this year and last April asked British authorities to ensure he appeared for a formal interview.
After being approached by Scotland Yard officials, his company received court summonses and was forced to hand over hundreds of “sensitive” emails, the newspaper added.
Fullbrook has since entered into an agreement with the FBI and is cooperating as a witness.
Fullbrook’s presence in this case is related to co-defendant Julio Herrera Velutini owner of Bancocrédito in Puerto Rico, but who has his residence in England, where he directs several financial institutions and has been a donor to British politicians, particularly the Conservative Party.
In addition to Vázquez Garced and Herrera Velutini, the third defendant in the case is Mark Rossini, a former FBI agent and adviser to the banker.
According to the Federal Grand Jury indictment, the three conspired so that Vázquez Garced received contributions to his campaign to the governorship on behalf of the banker, with the help of Rossini, in exchange for the then official removing George Joyner from the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions (OCIF), in order to put an end to the audit that had detected suspicious transactions in Herrera Velutini’s bank accounts.
Because Herrera Velutini did not want his name attached to a donation he might not make because he is not a US citizen, he hired the Australian company CT Group, founded by influential political strategist Sir Lynton Crosby, The Times reported.
He added that at the time, Fullbrook was CT’s head of global projects and was in charge of the banker’s request. Later, Fullbrook left the company and established his own corporation: “Fullbrook Strategies”.
The Times indicated that Fullbrook is the person identified in the indictment as “International Consulting Firm Partner #2.”
The newspaper also reported that Fullbrook offered an “offer agreement” with the FBI, which does not grant him absolute immunity, but allows him to provide evidence knowing that it will not be used once morest him.
The Times reported that on the same day that Joyner’s resignation letter surfaced, Fullbrook traveled from London to San Juan “for a 6:00 pm meeting at a luxury hotel with Velutini and Vázquez Garced.”
“Prosecutors say the purpose was for Fullbrook to guide Vázquez Garced through a presentation that would show the governor what CT – with Velutini’s money – might do for her,” The Times reported.
He added that “Fullbrook, Velutini and Vázquez Garced and several associates attended the hotel meeting. Those present were warned that there might be no delays and that once the meeting started, no one might join them. Fullbrook and her colleague told Vázquez Garced how they would help her win (the election).
“In a matter of days, (Vázquez Garced) expressed his approval for CT and (Herrera) Velutini agreed to pay the company his first sum of money. Fullbrook sent bills to Velutini using the name of a corporate entity related to his bank,” he noted.
In statements to The new day, CT Group confirmed the hiring by Herrera Velutini and that “in effect”, current employees and Fullbrook “are witnesses in this matter and they and C|T Group have extensively, fully and voluntarily engaged in this matter with United States authorities.”
In her statement, C|T assured that “she was hired only by Herrera and only to carry out opinion research for him and for no one else.”
“(C|T) never did any work and did not present any findings of its analysis to the governor (Vázquez Garced) or her campaign,” the spokesperson said.
However, the accusation indicates that “on one occasion, one of the partners of (Herrera) Velutini wrote to the Vázquez Garced team saying: ‘This is the report of the people of London, PLEASE DO NOT PRINT IT OR SHARE IT WITH ANYONE ”.
Impact on British politics
The Times reported that British government officials are aware of Fullbrook’s involvement in the case and have raised concerns regarding how the official will be able to gain security access in the executive branch.
He reportedly told the cabinet’s ethics office regarding the controversy, but has in the past dispatched questions regarding why he hadn’t had the security clearances, saying it was normal.
A source from that newspaper indicated that the situation raised “many problems”, including diplomatic consequences, since it is “the Prime Minister’s main adviser being investigated by the government of Great Britain’s closest ally.”
The Times anticipated that Truss will face questions regarding Fullbrook telling her regarding the case and how she reacted.
Before leading his cabinet, according to the newspaper, Fullbrook served as Truss’s secretary and helped him finalize his cabinet appointments.
The indictment was issued by the federal grand jury on August 3, with seven counts once morest Vázquez Garced, Herrera Velutini and Rossini.
All three face 20 years in prison on charges that include conspiracy, bribery and fraud.