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The Spanish Civil Guard investigates a multinational for poor management of healthcare waste associated with Covid-19 in Portugal and Spain. The Ribio operation has already involved the arrest of 20 people and due diligence at the company’s headquarters in various regions of Spain, but also in Portugal. The information is advanced in a statement from the Civil Guard that does not identify the company in question, simply stating that it is a US holding company based in London.
The operator is suspected of reducing packaging costs and managing waste with insufficient protective equipment, a practice that increases the risk of virus infection. Surveillance actions revealed that infected waste was stored outdoors and without suitable containers, using cheaper packaging. In most cases, employees only wore gloves as personal protective equipment.
These practices allowed to maximize the profits obtained by the company in approximately 300%. The Spanish authorities estimate an illegitimate profit of one million euros.
The investigation carried out by the Nature Protection Service of the Civil Guard (SEPRONA) also involved the GNR, which carried out due diligence at the company’s headquarters in Portugal and Europol. In Spain, the company registered its headquarters in Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and Madrid. The headquarters in Portugal has not been identified.
The savings achieved in the type of packaging used, there were cardboard and plastic bags, led to their degradation because they contained liquid substances that ended up being released on the public highway. The investigated company accepted a volume and type of waste much higher than its capacity, which will have led to possible incorrect treatment of the same, not allowing to neutralize the viral load and the risk of contagion. According to the Seprona statement, these practices may have generated contagious situations, especially among the workers who handled and transported this waste.
The investigations also reveal that the company used unauthorized vehicles for the clandestine storage of waste, having increased their handling by three tons in the period of a few months, without having the capacity to do so. To respond, it subcontracted companies that were not qualified to treat this type of waste.
Those responsible for the company are suspected of various crimes related to irregular waste management and against workers’ rights and public health. Poor waste management can lead to the application of criminal sanctions with prison terms of up to five years, fines and inhibition of the activity.
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