Puerto Rico’s Energy czar and executive director of the Public-Private Partnerships Authority (AAPP), Josué Colón Ortiz, defended his actions in the failed temporary power generation contract with Power Expectations after the House of Representatives referred implicated officials to state and federal authorities. The referral came through a partial report by the House Government Committee on House Resolution 42, which investigated the hiring process.
The House referred Colón, former Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA; AEE in Spanish) director Mary Carmen Zapata, and Independent Procurement Office (3PPO) president Osvaldo Carlo Linares. In written statements, Colón Ortiz said he has always acted lawfully and is willing to cooperate with any investigation, arguing the report recognizes the competitive process originated from an Energy Bureau resolution and order, that PREPA was the contracting entity, and that there is no evidence he personally participated in negotiation meetings or communicated with lobbyists involved.
He denied that the AAPP or his office evaluated proposals, selected proponents, or awarded the contract, saying those duties belonged to the 3PPO and PREPA, and denied evaluating or approving the substitution of a consortium member. The 120-page preliminary report cites possible crimes including information omissions, conflicts of interest, and apparent contradictions in Colón’s sworn testimony.
The House also referred Power Expectations and its representatives to state agencies and the FBI over alleged fraud, extortion, and the suspected use of forged ERock Inc. signatures.