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House confirms Luisa M. Colón García as alternate member of Panel on Special Independent Prosecutor after partisan debate
Summary
The Puerto Rico House of Representatives voted to confirm Luisa Mercedes Colón García as an alternate member of the Panel on the Special Independent Prosecutor (FEI). The nomination drew sustained debate over the FEI’s independence and past office practices; the chamber approved the nomination 47–3.
The House of Representatives confirmed Luisa Mercedes Colón García as an alternate member of the Panel on the Special Independent Prosecutor (FEI) in a 47–3 vote on June 24, 2025.
Lawmakers who supported Colón’s confirmation cited her decades in the judiciary and public service and said the panel needs experienced members to restore public confidence. Representative Víctor Parés Otero, who presented the nomination in the chamber, said the government’s vetting and the committee’s public hearing satisfied statutory requirements and recommended confirmation.
Opponents said the confirmation exposed continuing institutional concerns about the FEI. Representative Denis Márquez Lebrón and others pointed to a recent letter from the FEI president that, they said, suggested the office was portraying public ‘‘backing’’ as electoral validation and risked appearing aligned with elected officials rather than operating as an independent investigative body. Several members of the House minority argued those statements, together with questions about the FEI’s contracting and case outcomes, justify closer oversight or structural changes to the office rather than routine confirmations.
Representative Ferrer Santiago and others pressed the point that critics have raised about the FEI’s case outcomes and professional services spending, citing publicly available contract figures reported in committee materials during past sessions. Supporters countered that the FEI has a long record of prosecutions and convictions and that Colón’s experience as a judge and former prosecutor would help the office improve internal practices.
The House committee of government held a public hearing on Colón’s nomination; committee members who reviewed the record said she provided the requested documents and answered questions. During floor debate, Representative José Santiago and Representative Tatiana Pérez urged their colleagues to confirm Colón as a step toward stabilizing the FEI’s operations.
Final action: the chamber voted to give its advice and consent to the governor’s nomination of Luisa Mercedes Colón García as an alternate FEI panel member, 47 in favor, 3 opposed. The clerk was instructed to notify the governor of the House’s decision.
Why it matters: The FEI is the statutory body charged with appointing special prosecutors to investigate public-corruption allegations. Debate in the House highlighted tensions over the office’s perceived independence, spending, and prosecutorial effectiveness — issues that affect how corruption allegations are investigated and how the public judges those investigations.
