Justice Dept. won’t refer Arecibo mayor’s case to PFEI

By THE STAR STAFF

Arecibo Mayor Carlos Ramírez Irizarry commented Wednesday on the Justice Department’s decision not to refer him to the Office of the Special Independent Prosecutor Panel (PFEI by its Spanish initials) for allegations of criminal misconduct.

“I have been certain from the beginning of this investigation that the truth would come out,” Ramírez Irizarry said in response to the decision. “I always act with the highest standards and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.”

A letter signed by Justice Secretary Domingo Emanuelli Hernández concludes that there is no cause to believe that the mayor engaged in criminal conduct based on the facts investigated, after a complaint filed by New Progressive Party (NPP) Rep. José “Quiquito” Meléndez Ortiz.

The mayor accused the opposition NPP of seeking to “damage my image and integrity” and of encouraging agencies such as the Justice Department and the PFEI to “mobilize their resources and time to address partisan political grievances.”

The controversy arose in November 2022, when Meléndez Ortiz requested an investigation into a possible conflict of interest on the part of Ramírez Irizarry, alleging that he signed a professional services contract with the Department of Education while serving as mayor.

The letter from the Justice Department states that the evidence collected confirms that neither the mayor in his personal capacity or as mayor, nor the Municipality of Arecibo are parties to the contracts granted to Tito Ramírez

Bus Service Inc. by the Education Department.

It also states that the evidence collected does not demonstrate that Ramírez Irizarry used his position as mayor to obtain unauthorized benefits for himself or others, or that he intervened to gain advantages in the business of the bus service company.

The mayor reaffirmed his innocence and called on opposition legislators to “work on identifying resources for the benefit of Arecibo and stop playing and politicking with government agencies and the resources of the people.”

By THE STAR STAFF

Given the limited information available on the project, the Puerto Rico Public-Private Partnerships Authority (P3A) has rejected executing a conventional public-private partnership to rehabilitate and run the Camuy River Cave Park.

The agency informed the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) this week that it was not recommending a public-private partnership arrangement to turn the Camuy River Caverns into a major tourism attraction. The caverns are part of an extensive network of limestone caves and underground waterways carved out by the Río Camuy, the third-largest underground river in the world. The caves were discovered in 1958.

The P3A arrived at its conclusions following a feasibility study.

“Although the findings of this study suggest that an alternative P3 model would improve the operation, maintenance, and overall performance of the Cave Park, the Authority concludes that given the limited information available and the size of this project, it should not be procured under a conventional P3 arrangement,” the agency said.

However, the P3A told the DNER to procure a five- to 10-year agreement with a private third party to maintain and operate the Cave Park. Such a procurement would not be done under the public-private part- nership law.

“A private operator will bring efficiency in the operations and maintenance of the Cave Park, as well as offer insight and know-how as to the infrastructure enhancements needed,” the P3A said.

The P3A also published the studies on the proposed public-private partnership for the park. It provided a July 3 deadline for comments.