The owners of the building housing the headquarters of Puerto Rico's Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DCR) are negotiating compensation for 34 days during which rent went unpaid, between the expiration of a provisional lease and the signing of a new contract approved by the Fiscal Oversight Board (JSF). Attorney Charles Cuprill, representing the building owners, said Thursday the parties are close to finalizing the financial agreement covering the gap from June 30, when the provisional contract expired, to August 4, when the new contract was signed. The new five-year contract has a maximum payment of $21,864,125.82; the bidding process began April 6 and the current landlord was the only bidder.
The DCR confirmed Friday it is negotiating a money-collection lawsuit, working to certify the debt (one month and three days of rent) owed to Luis Rivera Siaca before submitting agreements to the court. The dispute stems from a lawsuit filed by Rivera Siaca and his wife, Enery Pilar Ortiz Jiménez, seeking an eviction order over nonpayment. Designated DCR Secretary Julie O.
Gómez Gómez will appear before the Senate Monday at 9:30 a.m. in the Leopoldo Figueroa Room at the Capitol for her confirmation hearing; she has not spoken to media since her August 3 nomination.