Puerto Rico officials seek to search governor's phone amid protests, scandal

SAN JUAN (Reuters) – Puerto Rican officials on Tuesday were executing search warrants for the mobile phones of Governor Ricardo Rosselló and his top associates amid a corruption scandal that provoked 10 days of protests demanding his resignation and took a toll on tourism.

The sometimes-violent demonstrations, which drew an estimated 500,000 people to the streets of San Juan on Monday, and a federal corruption probe of Rosselló’s administration are just the latest crisis to rock the bankrupt island still struggling to recover from a massive 2017 hurricane that killed some 3,000 people.

A first-term governor in his first elected office, the 40-year-old Rosselló has thus far resisted calls to step down as leader of the U.S. territory and its 3.2 million residents, though he has vowed not to seek re-election in 2020.

“The people are talking and I have to listen,” Rossello said in a statement on Tuesday. “The future expressions that I will issue will be directed to the actions that we carry out as part of the government’s work, as promised and expected by the people.”

The protests have also begun to hit the island’s economy, with tourism officials estimating that five cruise ships that have canceled stops in San Juan cost local shops, restaurants and other buildings some $3.25 million in lost sales.

The warrants targeted Rosselló himself as well as the phones of his top associates involved in the chat, said Mariana Cobian, spokeswoman for the Puerto Rico Justice Department. She declined to say whether the governor had surrendered his phone.

“A court authorized yesterday search warrants that are being executed today,” Cobian said in a statement. “Because it is an ongoing investigation, we will not make additional comments at this time.”

The publication on July 13 of chat messages in which Rosselló and top aides used profane and sometimes violent language to describe female politicians as well as singer Ricky Martin unleashed simmering resentment over his handling of devastating hurricanes in 2017, alleged corruption in his administration and the island’s bankruptcy process.

The protests were also sparked by U.S. authorities’ announcement of a federal indictment involving six people, including two former high-ranking Puerto Rico government officials, charged with conspiracy and other crimes in connection with millions of dollars in federal Medicaid and education funds.

Police fired tear gas to disperse crowds late Monday and early Tuesday while protesters threw bottles and other objects during protests aimed at forcing Rosselló to resign.

Rosselló on Monday asked Puerto Ricans to give him another chance, explaining he had made policy changes significant to women and the LGBTQ community.

Those two groups were frequent targets of messages exchanged between Rosselló and his aides in 889 pages of online group chats published July 13 by Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism.

CALLS FOR RESIGNATION

The island’s leading newspaper, prominent Democratic officials on the island and in the mainland United States and Republican President Donald Trump have all called on Rosselló to step down.

San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, an opposition politician running for governor in 2020, said Rosselló had run out of time.

Trump also blasted as “terrible” Rosselló, who is affiliated with the U.S. Democratic Party and with whom Trump feuded in 2017 over the adequacy of the federal response to Hurricane Maria.

Some restaurateurs bemoaned the loss of business caused by the protests, even as some supported protesters’ goals.

Jose Santaella, 50 and one of San Juan’s top chefs, said his eponymous restaurant was closed on Sunday and Monday but reopened on Tuesday. His place, like many restaurants across the city, face some uncertainty due to not knowing whether Rosselló will cave to protesters’ calls for his resignation.

“We have to wait a little bit, maybe a couple of days to get the right perspective of what is going on,” he said, adding that he would like to see Rosselló step down. “If he doesn’t quit, there are going to be more marches.”