Believing it would be problematic, Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz rejected the idea of the legislative body investigating the complaints about alleged pressure or undue interference in the Puerto Rico Innovation and Technology Service (PRITS), and said he will block the measures put forward by minority delegations seeking Senate intervention

Rivera Schatz said that state and federal authorities should be the ones to investigate the allegations regarding the constant changes in the PRITS leadership and their alleged link to the agency’s contract management.

“Those resolutions (of investigation), I am going to defeat them. These antics of the PIP and the PPD, I am going to liquidate them today. They know it, I am going to liquidate them today," the Senate leader said earlier in the day after leading a public hearing of the Innovation, Reform and Appointments Committee.

The Senate is in session this Monday as of 1:00 p.m. Both the Popular Democratic Party and Puerto Rican Independence Party delegations filed measures to investigate the apparent irregularities at PRITS. The minority legislators had scheduled press conferences in the morning to present their proposals.

In Rivera Schatz’s opinion, it would not be correct for the Senate to investigate allegations of undue pressure that allegedly occurred in the confirmation process of the nominees to head PRITS to favor certain contracts. The three nominees appointed by Governor Jenniffer González have been removed without legislative consideration.

“If there are allegations of undue pressures on confirmation processes, well, then, how would we be acting in the eyes of the people of Puerto Rico, investigating ourselves. It has been said, through the media, that the authorities are investigating, particularly the federal authorities, so I believe that if there is an ongoing investigation, as it seems there is, the right thing to do would be for them to act, and wait," he said.

Rivera Schatz also reiterated that it is false that, “in the summer,” he has expressed his opposition to the nomination of Martin Jimenez Morales, the third PRITS nominee, before La Fortaleza’s Office of Executive and Judicial Appointments, as the governor has insisted. The Senate President has maintained that he does not oppose the nomination.

"It’s that the Justice secretary herself said there is no complaint, so, then, I have to tell you that it would appear that someone misinformed the governor because her own Justice secretary has said there is no complaint," he said, referring to Justice head Lourdes Gomez, who previously headed the Office of Executive and Judicial Appointments.

"Let them investigate from A to Z, and look into everything. It would not look good in the face of the allegations that there are, that the Senate investigate, because they are talking about the confirmation process. I don’t think it would look good, but, since the PDP and the PIP are so reckless...," Rivera Schatz said.