Before selling 50,000 rapid tests to the Government, Ricky Castro Ortiz already knew the coordinator of the Task force doctor, Dr. Segundo Rodríguez Quilichini, with whom, according to what he said, he was collaborating on a project related to the University of Puerto Rico before the arrival of the coronavirus.
In contrast, Rodríguez Quilichini affirmed in the hearings before the House of Representatives on April 22: “I do not know the suppliers,” when asked if he had held meetings with any supplier from the Department of Health.
In an interview with the Investigative Journalism Center (CPI), the owner of Castro Business did not want to give details of the project in which he collaborated with the doctor and rejected that the relationship between him and Dr. Rodríguez Quilichini is through the New Progressive Party (PNP), a community of which both they are donors.
“I try to stay out of politics,” said Castro Ortiz.
What the businessman did talk about was how he came to sell tests to the Health Department: through Dr. Rodríguez Quilichini and Mabel Cabeza, according to what he said.
“Second [Rodríguez] he referred me to the pulmonologist[DrLuisCarlosTorrellasfrom[DrLuisCarlosTorrellasdelTask force doctor]for evaluating fans. [En el caso de] tests, he referred me to Health through the Sa. Head, who in turn refers me to Adil [Rosa]”Castro Ortiz said.
Rosa, former assistant secretary of the agency, was in charge of the emergency purchases, while Cabeza, Chief of Staff in Health, it was the link between La Fortaleza and the Task force doctor.
“I must clarify that the word‘ refers ’only means that it asks me to work everything with them. In no way should it be construed that he ordered the purchase. I had to present my product to Salud, ”added Castro Ortiz.
This contradicts the statements of Dr. Rodríguez Quilichini, who assured at a hearing in the House of Representatives on April 22, that he did not know any Health supplier and that he only referred information from contractors to that agency and gave guidance on the needs to address the pandemic.
Rodríguez Quilichini also followed up, according to testimony in a cameral hearing
Mabel Cabeza validated in public hearing this week that it was Dr. Rodríguez Quilichini who told him on March 20 of Castro Ortiz’s information, saying that his evidence would arrive in five days. Two days later, the doctor followed up and asked Cabeza, according to her, if he had already contacted Castro Ortiz. That day, Cabeza contacted the businessman. Then, in a meeting between Dr. Rodríguez Quilichini and the then acting Secretary of Health, Dr. Concepción Quiñones de Longo, that Cabeza said he had witnessed, the doctor allegedly recommended the purchase of the rapid tests because it could deliver 10,000 “that arrived in five days ”and that immediately, the transaction was approved by the Secretary.
Quiñones de Longo told the CPI that he had no information available about the transaction with Castro Business.
On March 25, the Government bought 50,000 serological tests from Castro Business to detect antibodies to COVID-19, Phamatech, at $ 13 each, for a total of $ 650,000. A second purchase for fans that the businessman also tried to sell to the agency, was never completed. The CPI revealed This week the Castro Business tests have had validation problems and some 200 have been returned to Health because they could not be used by laboratories and health centers. Castro Business has not delivered evidence to Health for almost a month and still owes more than 40,000 tests of the order. The company alleges that they are detained at customs by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Castro Ortiz said that he finally presented his proposal to Adil Rosa, on the instructions of Cabeza, who he described as “the only person in the COE [Centro de Operaciones de Emergencia] that he could attend to the request he was making, which was to be able to make a presentation on the product ”.
“[Cabeza] she attends me, she says, ‘send the information to this email’, and after that, the next day, Adil writes me so that I can send the information to her. And there it all started running, “he said.
After a few days, Castro Business closed the sale of 50,000 Phamatech brand serological tests. Castro Ortiz also assured that the then acting secretary, Dr. Quiñones de Longo, authorized the purchase.
Although the purchase order establishes the advance payment of $ 650,000 as a term, Castro Ortiz assured the CPI not having received “a single penny” as of today. He reiterated that his tests are guaranteed and that Salud has not yet informed him of any problems with the tests he sold.
“I made my money transfer and I have not received any payment, nor have I made efforts to collect even the ones that were delivered,” he said.
In early April, the company had delivered around 9,000 Phamatech tests to Health, but then was unable to continue delivery as, it said, the FDA stopped its tests at the airport and has not yet released them.
“I have a lawyer working with it. I can tell you that there was initially a criminal investigation of all the evidence that entered Puerto Rico. We were released from the criminal investigation, and are now in an investigative stage of compliance [cumplimiento]. That is what we have been informed. According to them [FDA]They have no obligation to tell us anything. But my lawyer has been working closely with them in that regard, “he explained.
Castro Ortiz said he has no documentary evidence to support the reasons why the federal agency is holding his operation to a halt.
To questions from the CPI about why they stop distributing these products, an FDA spokeswoman replied that the agency is prevented from expressing itself “about specific interactions between Puerto Rico and the FDA.”
Given the default scenario, the CPI asked Castro Ortiz what will happen to the order and why he has not made collection efforts.
“I am in ‘non-compliance’ because of the FDA and the turmoil that formed. When it is in compliance and if the Department of Health allows me to be in compliance, then it would require payment, ”he replied. “I cannot receive payment for something I have not complied with.”
Another COVID-19 rapid testing provider, 313 LLC, maintains a legal dispute with the Department of Health, since the agency refuses to receive around 50,000 tests from this company for having failed to comply with the terms of delivery. The Government tries to renegotiate the price of these tests, initially agreed to $ 36 each, according to the current purchase order.
Castro Business acquired the Phamatech tests through an intermediary in Miami, “Cladd”, an entity with which Castro Ortiz also works in the United States.
“We have a company that is dedicated to selling medical equipment and providing billing services to medical plans and wrong billing collection. We have sold over 12 million tests in the United States and we were assigned to sell a specific quantity to Puerto Rico. At that moment, I gave myself the task of offering them to the team of Task force, which actually gave me a little work to get it. Finally I sent the information to the team, from there they referred me to the Health Department, who evaluated and made the order, ”said Castro Ortiz.
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