Figueres To Be Charged With
Disobedience
February 3rd came
and went as any other day, but
without the appearance of former
president José María Figueres
Olsen before the Comisión de
Ingreso y Gasto Público del
Congreso.
This is the fourth time the
former president has been called
before the commission and his
failure to do so yesterday means
the commission will now, as
promised, denounce the former
president before the Ministerio
Público, opening the doorway to
an international capture warrant
for the man.
The first time Figueres was
asked appear before the
commission was last October 27.
The motion to charge Figueres
with public disobedience was
unanimously approved yesterday
afternoon, Luis Gerardo
Villanueva and Ricardo Toledo,
heads of the commission, told
the press yesterday.
"We have called on the former
president on four occasions to
appear before our committee to
give his explanations on
suspected acts of corruption and
all he has done is mock us. We
are tired of the excuses and
lies...", expressed Toledo.
Formal charges before the
Ministerio Público are expected
to be presented on Tuesday, with
the aim that the criminal court
issue an international warrant
for the capture of Figueres, who
is currently living in
Switzerland.
The court order will mean that
the International Police
organization - INTERPOL - can
now act to force the return of
the former president to Costa
Rica, after failing to return
voluntarily.
Third Body Found in Zurqui
Jorge Rovira, director of the
rescue operation for the Red
Cross, told news reporters,
"where there are two bodies,
there could be three.."
following the discovery on
Wednesday of two bodies in the "Zurqui", the mountainous
area that separates the Central
Valley from the Atlantic region
is well known to Costa Ricans
for holding "skeletons".
And yesterday, Red Cross workers
stumbled across a third body at
kilemetre 18, some 15 metres
from the road, on the highway
that connects San José to
Guapiles and Limón.
The body was in an advanced
state of decomposition, making
the identification process
difficult.
One of the two bodies recovered
on Wednesday on kilometre 22 was
identified as Hill Kelly, a 24
year old man reported missing
from Limón last January 21.
Authorities have yet to
establish the cause of death and
motive.
Big Traffic Weekend; Back to
School on Monday
The
Transit Police and the Red Cross
are ready for the weekend. This
is the final weekend before
school starts on Monday and
Ticos are expected to visit the
beaches and other vacation spots
in masses.
Also, the Puntarenas festival
kicks off this weekend, adding
to the traffic congestion that
is expected Sunday night for the
return home.
Areas of the Central and North
Pacific are favourite spots as
the climate is best there this
time of year. The highway that
connects the Central Valley to
the Central and North Pacific
will be congested, according to
Transit officials and as such
will be in full force to handle
the traffic volume and the Red
Cross will be there to handle
any emergency.
Areas around Esparza, Barranca
and the airport are the major
congestion spots.
Transit officials are also
gearing up for a full scale
presence in and around schools
on Monday morning, ensuring a
safe return to school.
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"Quack Doc" Soon to be
Extradited
Dean Faiello, the
New York "Quack Doc" is close to
his extradition back to the
United States since his arrest
last February.
The Tribunal de Casación Penal
decided on December 23, 2004, to
proceed with the extradition of
the fake doctor wanted for
homicide and practicing medicine
without a license in Manhattan,
New York.
Faiello, at his last Costa Rican
court appearance in November
2004, asked the judges that he
be allowed to remain in Costa
Rica, allowing him to live out
the remaining of life in Costa
Rica, alleging that he suffers
from an undisclosed illness.
Faiello is wanted in Manhattan
for the homicide of María Cruz,
a Philippine national who went
to Faiello for treatment. The
woman died as a result from
complication by the surgery to
her tongue performed by Faiello
and was found buried under a
concrete bunker in a house
formerly owned by Faiello.
The Manhattan criminal court
also wants the fake doctor for
practicing medicine without a
license, providing skin laser
treatments that only licensed
doctors can perform.
Faiello was arrested in Costa
Rica onFebruary 26, 2004, while
sunning it in Villas Playa
Sámara in Guanacaste. He was
returned to San José by
immigration officials on
immigration irregularities and
the placed in the hands of the
Ministerio de Justicia who is
holding him in the San Sebastian
jail pending the decision to
extradite him.
Faiello, at 44 years of age,
faces life in prison and
possibly the death penalty if
convicted of the crime.
Workshop in Costa Rica to Train
Journalists, Researchers
A training
workshop in Costa Rica aims to
identify the impact that
research on health and
population issues has on
politics and decision-making.
The workshop, scheduled for July
25 to August 5 in San José, is
intended for Latin American
journalists, researchers and
other professionals
The goal is to teach
participants how to design an
investigation into issues that
are important to politics and
decision-makers, and to promote
the use and acceptance of
research findings.
Among the issues to be
discussed: the importance of
using the media and the Internet
to inform people about research
findings, and the gap between
research and political
decision-making.
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