Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 15 February 2018

Puerto Rico suspends $133M post-hurricane housing contract

ing nearly 1,500 home in- hit. He noted his agency
spections a day, with 700 had requested that Puerto
Puerto Ricans helping out. Rico justice officials submit
He said the company of- the contract to the review
fered a savings of more board even though they
than $20 million compared are not legally required to
with the other proposal. do so. "Ensuring transpar-
"This decision puts that ency in contract awards is
progress at risk and may of paramount importance,"
cost Puerto Rico more Gil said. "Our focus contin-
money," he said. ues to be to help all families
A company vice president, that require our assistance
Daniel Craig, had been and ensure the reconstruc-
nominated by U.S. Presi- tion of Puerto Rico."
dent Donald Trump to the Officials have said that Hur-
No. 2 position at FEMA but ricane Maria destroyed
later withdrew from consid- between 70,000 to 75,000
eration. Craig, an ex-FEMA homes and damaged an-
official under former Presi- other 300,000 homes across
dent George W. Bush, had the island of 3.3 million peo-
faced a 2011 federal inves- ple. Adjusters International
tigation that concluded he was contracted to make
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello speaks during a news conference, in Washington. Puerto Rico's falsified government travel minor repairs to homes,
Housing Department said Wednesday it will suspend a $133 million deal with a U.S. company and timekeeping records such as fixing roofs, walls,
hired to repair homes damaged by Hurricane Maria.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) — findings he has rejected windows and water heat-
as being the result of a poor ers. It is unclear how many
By DANICA COTO The department's contrac- torney for Adjusters Interna- investigation. The 2011 re- homes the company has
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) tor review board published tional, said in a statement port has not been publicly repaired or how much, if
— Puerto Rico's Housing De- a ruling on Tuesday that that the company com- disclosed. any, it had been paid for its
partment said Wednesday New York-based Adjust- plied with all requirements Meanwhile, Puerto Rico work. Housing Department
it will suspend a $133 million ers International received and is studying the board's Housing Secretary Fernan- spokeswoman Leticia Jo-
deal with a U.S. company the contract, which was decision, adding that it was do Gil said in a statement ver did not return messages
hired to repair homes dam- subsidized by the Federal "deeply disappointed." He that his agency is evaluat- for comment. Jover said
aged by Hurricane Maria Emergency Management said thousands of Puerto ing other options to avoid the contract will remain
because a review board Agency, though it did not Ricans were enrolled in the interrupting home repairs suspended until a ruling
found the contract was im- meet several requirements. home repairs program and more than five months af- from Puerto Rico’s Court of
properly awarded. Eric Perez-Ochoa, an at- that crews were conduct- ter the Category 4 storm Appeals. q
Violence during Rio Carnival spotlights security woes

By M. SAVARESE Rio state Gov. Luiz Fernan- firearms confiscated by au- zao, President Michel Te- second place, likely be-
Associated Press do Pezao acknowledged thorities was "incredible." mer and especially Mayor cause of its political tone.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A there weren't enough po- A year after hosting the Marcelo Crivella, an evan- The samba-school's anti-
series of muggings, armed lice on hand during the first 2016 Olympics, Rio is expe- gelical bishop who is no fan slavery theme attacked
robberies and confronta- couple days of Carnival, riencing a spike in violence. of the party and left the Temer's labor reform and
tions during Rio de Janeiro's though more than 17,000 Days before Carnival, rival city for Europe. the president himself. One
Carnival celebrations are policemen worked in Rio drug gangs closed key ar- Beija-Flor de Nilopolis won of Tuiuti's floats featured a
underscoring the deterio- state each day during the teries of the city. the samba-school parade vampire wearing a presi-
rating security situation in festivities. Last year Rio used almost title on Wednesday in Rio's dential sash.
the city. "We were not prepared. 12,000 policemen during Sambadrome using corrup- Next week Temer, whose
TV Globo on Wednesday There was a failure on the Carnival, but it also count- tion as a theme. One of its popularity is at single-digits,
showed videos of gunfire first two days, and then we ed on the help of 9,000 floats portrayed a rat be- wants to push through a re-
between rival drug gangs, brought backup for police. members of the country's low the building of state- form of Brazil's pension sys-
teenagers punching tour- I think there has been a armed forces. This time oil Petrobras, which is at tem. Analysts have said bill
ists in areas usually consid- mistake in our part," Pezao there was no federal aid the center of a corruption is unlikely to pass with Oc-
ered relatively safe and said. during the bash. scandal that has engulfed tober's presidential election
a policeman narrowly es- Statistics from the Friday to Politicians avoided Rio dur- politicians across Latin approaching. The Carnival
caping after several peo- Tuesday bash have not yet ing one of the most political America. atmosphere did not help
ple attacked him in front of been released. However, Carnivals in Brazil's history, Crowd favorite Paraiso do the president make his
his home. Pezao said the number of with revelers targeting Pe- Tuiuti finished in a surprising case for austerity.q