Telenoticias Director
Threatened
"Solo
los maricones hacen estas cosas",
Igancio Santos, director of "Telenoticias"
told a Diario Extra reporter
when the Spanish language
newspapers received emails and
voice messages saying that the
Telenoticias director had
resigned.
Santos and Pilar Cisneros are
the news directors at the
channel 7 television station,
Teletica, as well as news
anchors on the weekly nightly
news broadcast.
Santos confirmed that he has
received numerous threats over
the corruption scandals that
have hit Costa Rica, that has
seen two former presidents in
preventive detention and the
investigation of a third, along
with a score of public
functionaries and businessmen,
over the Fischel-Caja and
ICE-Alcatel scandals, where
millions of dollars of public
funds when to politician's
pockets.
"I have been threatened many
times over the past 20 year, why
should I run now? We will
continue working as always",
were the words of Santos, who
assures that he is firm in his
post and continue working
professionally and commitment to
serious journalism.
Unconfirmed rumours also say
that the president of Televisora
de Costa Rica (Teletica) has
been threatened over the
television station's handling of
the corruption scandals, but no
confirmation was made.
Last week, the president of the
Grupo Nación, publisher of the
Spanish language daily
newspaper, La Nación,
Francisco Jiménez Borbón,
also received
threats against his life, again
presumed linked to the
newspaper's reporting of the
scandals.
It was La Nación and
Telenoticias who uncovered
documents and links to the
scandals, reporting the
connection between politicians
and public functionaries and the
payment of money to their bank
accounts in Costa Rica and
Panama, as well as receiving
payments from friends and family
members.
Former presidents Miguel Angel
Rodríguez and Rafael Angel
Calderón are both in La Reforma
prison in preventive detention.
Former president José María
Figueres Olsen is being asked to
return to Costa Rica to answer
questions on his involvement. A
score other politicians, public
officials in preventive
detention under house arrest or
on conditional release.
Private businessmen like the
former president of Alcatel,
Edgar Valverde and the president
of Corporación Fishcel, Walter
Reiche Fischel, are in
preventive detention while the
Fiscalía continues its
investigation into the
ICE-Alcatel and Fischel-Caja
scandals.
Iberoamérica
Conference Starts Friday
Anyone who has driven on the
highway between the airport and
San José will have noticed light
posts adorned with flags of the
different countries who will be
represented this week in the
Iberoamérica conference to be
held in San José.
Seventeen presidents, the King
and Queen of Spain, Juan Carlos
I y Sofía de Grecia, two prime
ministers, the governor of
Puerto Rico, head the list of
international representatives
along with 800 news reporters
that will be Costa Rica.
Roberto Tovar, Minister of
Foreign Affairs, says that this
week all eyes will be on Costa
Rica again and not only for the
recent political scandals.
The XIV Cumbre Iberoamericana de
Presidentes y Jefes de Estado
will kick off this Friday at 7m
at the Teatro Nacional in
downtown San José. The first
meetings of the heads of
government will be Saturday
morning at the Herradura
Conference Centre.
Thursday and Friday will see the
arrivals of the "VIPs", though
delegations have already begun
their arrival, to prepare
security measures.
Not participating in the
conference will be Cuba's
president, Fidel Castro;
Alejandro Toledo, from Perú;
Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da
Silva; and Ricardo Lagos from
Chile. Those countries will be
represented by their Foreign
Ministers.
According to the Foreign
Ministry, the conference will
cost Costa Rica us$1.2 million
dollars and will see more than
3.000 people in total visit as a
direct consequence. The
conference is a major forum for
the governments of Latin
America, Spain and Portugal, to
discuss mutual and beneficial
issues
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Former Tránsito Director Speaks
Out
Ignacio Sánchez, former director
of the Policía de Tránsito,
spoke out following his
resignation last week, a post he
held for more than 2 1/2 years.
Sánchez admitted that there is
corruption in the Ministerio de
Obras Publica y Tránsito (MOPT)
and there are corrupt police
officials. However, the blame
can also be pointed at the
Legislative Assembly, who permit
imprudent drivers with extremely
permissive laws.
Sánchez took over the Tránsito
on November 1, 2002 and left
last Wednesday when the
Comptroller's office objected to
him also being head of the
Consejo de Seguridad Vial (Cosevi).
He will step down at Cosevi on
December 24.
The former director said that
the country does not have enough
Tránsitos - Transit Police
officers to effectively handle
the growing number of vehicles
and drivers on Costa Rican
roads. Of the 800 Tránsitos only
450 to 500 are effectively on
the job each day.
"The police force is one that
lack motivation to uphold the
laws and certain streets 'have a
price', as corrupt Transit
officials extort drivers",
Sánchez told the Spanish
language newspaper La Nación.
Sánchez told the daily that the
country should have at least
1.500 officials on the road,
then they could be effective in
bringing order to the roads,
reducing vehicular deaths and
stop the corruption within the
department.
Sánchez added that, many of the
Tránsitos are there as a result
of political appointment of the
past and are not "carreer"
policemen, thus there is no
motivation to do the job. Those
officials are practically
'untouchable', protected by the
system. Some don't work, while
others are on the streets with
an extended hand."
"There are also regional chiefs
that will be at their posts
until they retire and cannot be
removed by law. They can only be
transferred and thus
transferring the problem."
Sánchez said that the only way
to change the system, is by
changing the laws. The
Legislative Assembly - the
lawmakers - have to make it a
priority and have to be willing
to eradicate the corruption that
has overtaken the Policía de
Tránsito.
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