INTERPOL Can't Intervene in
Figueres Return
The International Police
organization (INTERPOL) cannot
bring former president José
María Figueres Olsen back to
Costa Rica to appear before a
legislative commission, who has
asked for his appearance.
Rogelio Ramos, Ministro de
Seguridad Pública, communicated
this information to the press,
saying that the request does not
comply with Article 3 of
Interpol's policies. The
Ministerio Público had asked
Interpol's help in getting the
former president to Costa Rica
after he publicly refused to
come voluntarily and is now
living in Switzerland.
The legislative commission is
asking for Figueres to appear
before them to explain the
admitted payment of us$900.000
by the French telecommunications
firm Alcatel to the former
president for consulting fees, a
fee that is tenfold the normal
fee that would be paid to anyone
else.
Alcatel admitted paying to
Roberto Hidalgo, a former aide
in Figueres' administration,
us$2.7 million dollars, of which
us$900.000 went to Hidalgo,
us$900.000 went to Carmen
Valverde, sister of Edgar
Valverde, then president of
Alcatel Costa Rica and
us$900.000 to Figueres.
Figueres admitted receiving the
payment, saying it was normal
course of business, as Alcatel
had sought his expertise in
telecommunications in Costa Rica
and that the fee was earned
after he left the presidency.
Figueres was president between
1994 and 1998 and he was hired
in 2002.
Alcatel is also the firm that is
linked to paying a multimillion
dollar kickback to a former ICE
board member, José Anotio Lobo,
who fingered former president
Miguel Angel Rodríguez as the
mastermind behind the kickbacks.
Rodríguez is currently in
preventive detention in La
Reforma prison, Lobo is under
house arrest and, Edgar Valverde
is also in preventive detention,
as the Fiscalía continues it's
investigation into the scandal.
Figueres had first said he would
appear as soon as his calendar
would permit it, needing to time
to complete his previous
commitments. The legislative
commission postponed his
appearance dates to accommodate
the former president, who last
week said, in a 15 page letter
deliver to the legislative
commission, that he would not
appear.
The commission asked Ramos to
make a request that INTERPOL
intervene to bring Figueres to
Costa Rica to answer their
questions. Minister Ramos
indicated that he had made a new
request, but sees little hope in
that it would be accepted.
Figueres is not being charged
with any wrongdoing, the
commission simply wants him to
show face to answer their
questions.
Avenidazo Returns to Downtown
San José
Avenida Central (The Boulevard)
if full of Christmas spirit with
the return of the "avenidazo"
The avenidazo is the Christmas
tradition of throwing white
confetti at passersby. In the
past years the avenidazo was in
question as the Municipality of
San José, full of complaints,
attempted to stop the annual
practice by prohibiting the sale
of confetti on the boulevard and
asking people not to through
confetti on the public street.
However, this year, Johnny
Araya, the Mayor of San José,
was on hand last night to
witness the activity which,
though there is no formal time,
is between 6pm and 10pm.
The Municipality has added
additional police officers on
the boulevard during the evening
hours, which is in addition to
added officers from the Fuerza
Publica, to ensure a safe and
happy holiday season.
In addition to the confetti,
each day a different musical
group performs on the street,
with the traditional "caroling"
to begin in about 10 days, when
a stage is mounted in front of
the Teatro Nacional and each
night a different choir will
perform traditional Christmas
carols for one and all to enjoy.
Bank Robbery Season Underway
December is not only a time for
the holiday season, but a time
for bank robberies.
The latest bank robbery occurred
in the Banco de Costa Rica
branch in San Antonio de
Desamparados, when there men and
a woman dressed as professional
waiters entered the branch that
was just opened three weeks ago.
The bank did not have yet
installed it's video security
system - as it seems is the
custom at Banco Costa Rica when
a new branch is opened - and the
gang was able to get away with
¢6.000.000 colones (us$13.200
dollars), according to the data
distributed by the Organismo de
Investigación Judicial (OIJ).
The gang, entered the bank
mid-day, as the lunch hour shift
begins at the bank as employees
take turns leaving their post
and as the bank robbers found, a
time when security was the most
relaxed.
The four made their getaway in
cars and motorcycles and though
police gave a valiant effort to
track down the suspects based on
eyewitnesses, they came up empty
ended by the end of the day.
Police say they expect an
increase of bank robberies
during the coming weeks, as the
"aguinaldo" - the Christmas
bonus paid the first two weeks
in December - hits the streets.
The banks have added cash on
hand to pay out the aguinaldo
and are a target for holiday
bank robbers.
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Glencairn Responds to Bellavista
Anti-Mining Group
Glencairn Gold Corp. has
responded to recent actions
taken by an anti-mining special
interest group in Costa Rica.
These actions include
irresponsible and erroneous
statements circulated on the
Internet that attempt to link
Glencairn to a continuing
political scandal in Costa Rica
as well as an unfounded legal
claim which seeks to challenge
certain permits for the
Bellavista mine.
Kerry Knoll, president and chief
executive officer of Glencairn,
stated: "These actions are
simply the latest step in a
campaign by a small number of
long-time opponents of the
Bellavista mine which is
intended to delay the
construction and operation of
the mine. There are no grounds
whatsoever for the allegations
made by this group. These same
individuals have previously
tested several of these issues
through the courts and by
administrative means and have
completely failed. We have no
reason to believe the result
will be any different this
time."
Glencairn's subsidiary, Metales
Procesados MRW S.A., has been
made a party to a legal
proceeding brought by this group
before the Constitutional Court
of Costa Rica against three
branches of the government that
alleges several deficiencies in
the process followed by the
government in granting permits
for the Bellavista mine.
The legal proceeding does not
include a challenge to the
exploitation concession under
which Metales's holds its
mineral rights to the Bellavista
mine.
Glencairn and its Costa Rican
legal counsel have reviewed the
allegations and believe they are
without legal merit and factual
basis.
Governmental officials in Costa
Rica have stated publicly on
several occasions that
construction of the mine is
being carried out in compliance
with Costa Rican law. Glencairn
understands that it may take as
long as three years before a
decision is rendered by the
court.
The company is confident that
its position will be upheld and
that there will not be any
interruption to its development
schedule for the Bellavista
mine.
Glencairn is continuing with
construction of the mine and
expects to begin processing ore
in the first quarter of 2005,
with the first gold production
to begin in the second quarter.
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