President
Pacheco Hospitalized For Heart
Problem
President Abel Pacheco, who is
completed 71 years of age last
December, was in a stable
condition in the Calderon
Guardia hospital after being
admitted at 8:30 Thursday
morning.
The President is in no immediate
danger. "He's fully conscious
and in good spirits," Pacheco's
office said in a statement.
Vice-President Lineth Saborío
said the president's ability to
do his job had not been affected
and she will not be assuming any
presidential functions, as the
President is able to make the
decisions from his hospital
room.
Ricardo Toledo, a Legislative
Deputy for the Partido Unidad
Social Cristiana (PUSC) and
former Ministro de la
Presidencia in Pacheco's
government, said the President
did not lose his sense of humour
and was able to walk on his own
and in good spirits.
Doctors said that all tests,
including a cardiogram, showed
normal levels and that they
would be keeping the President
for observation until Saturday.
More tests were scheduled for
today.
The President's wife, Leila
Rodríguez, is expected to return
from her trip to Mexico to be by
her husband's side. Pacheco's
daughter, Yolanda, had been with
him all the time.
Doctors say that the President's
workload and stress are factors
causing the current problem and
the President should take it
easy for some time.
Pacheco's term end on May 1,
2006.
TSE
Postpones E-Voting
Costa Rica's
elections board - Tribunal
Supremo de Elecciones (TSE) -
has put off using electronic
voting technology until at least
the municipal elections of
December 2006, the TSE said in a
statement.
"It all comes down to a
budgetary issue. When the budget
was approved by the legislature,
there was a very important cut
made that prevents us from
moving forward," TSE president
Oscar Fonseca said.
The TSE had planned on using
some 3,500 electronic voting
machines for the country's
presidential elections in
February 2006. With the budget
shortfall of ¢1.2 billion
colones (us$2.6 million),
Fonseca said that use of the
electronic machines would be
postponed until the mayoral
elections in December 2006 at
the earliest.
"If we have the budget, it is
very possible that this
initiative will be put into
practice for the December
elections," Fonseca said.
For those elections, the TSE is
planning to use at least 3,500
electronic voting terminals on
loan from Brazil. The
organization needs 685mn colones
to cover this.
The TSE hopes to provide
electronic voting machines for
50% of the voting public. Its
goal is to have over 7,000
machines by the year 2010,
according to Fonseca.
"For 2010, it is quite feasible
that we will have electronic
voting. Whether the solution
will come from Brazil or
somewhere else is not certain.
But the idea is that we are
moving towards this mechanism in
the short or medium-term,"
Fonseca said.
The TSE will analyze the results
of the machines in the December
elections to determine the
optimal levels of use of
e-voting for future elections.
Madam
Trial Judges Warn Media
The Spanish
language daily newspaper, Diario
Extra, got a stern warning by
the court that is trying Sinaí
Monge, who is accused of
providing underage prostitutes
to key figures in Costa Rica,
not to publish the names of the
underage witnesses.
The same warning went to Channel
6 news - Repretel - for the fear
of the names and images of the
underage witnesses will stop
them from testifying.
The courtroom is now being
sealed off to news reporters and
the accused as well when an
underage witness takes the stand
to testify against the Madam.
The warning comes after
prosecutors Alejandra Valenciano,
Ana Salazar and defense lawyer
Karen Valverde complained to the
judges that the names of
witnesses published in the press
could affect the trial.
Another concern is the
publishing of the names of "grandes
figurones" - important persons
who allegedly used the services
of the Sinaí, requesting
underage girls to accompany
them. Politicians, well known
soccer players and important
members of the Organismo de
Investigacion Judicial (OIJ) and
the Poder Judicial - the
judicial branch of the
government - are suspected to be
included in the list of names of
clients of the Madam.
For years police were on the
trail of Sinaí but given her
long list of "important"
customers, their efforts were
hampered. Neighbours never
complained nor did they
co-operate with police fearing
reprisals.
The trial, now in it's third
day, is expected to show how an
undercover OIJ agent was able to
get inside the prostitution ring
and order the services of a
young girl. A judge, a
prosecutors and several OIJ
officials were witness at a
motel where a 12 year old girl
sent by Sinaí was naked in the
company of the undercover agent
and with marked bills in her
possession. Police say that the
girl was able, ready and willing
to complete her part of the
bargain, of which she would kick
up money to the Madam.
One of the girls on the list
working for Sinaí was her own
daughter-in-law - the wife of
her son. The Madam was quoted as
saying to investigators that
"business is business".
The young girls would charge
between ¢25.000 colones and
us$100 for their services, more
if it included multiple
partners. They were sent by the
Madam to meet with their clients
and then pay the Madam her cut.
The trial is expected to
continue for several weeks.
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Stepfather Who Sexually
Abused His Four
Step-Daughters Arrested
Fear and threats were the
weapons of a 44 year old man
who abused his four
step-daughters in their
Lomas del Rio in Pavas, west
of San José.
The man identified only by
his last name, Rojas, was
arrested by agents of the
Unidad Contra la Explotación
Sexual (UCES) del Ministerio
de Seguridad Pública -
Sexual Crimes Unit - after
having the man under
surveillance for several
days, following a tip from
other family members of the
abuse.
The young girls aged between
8 and 15 were to scared to
go to the authorities and
the man kept the mother's
silence with threats.
The Sexual Crimes Unit
intervened on the family's
behalf and arrested the man
when he left the house and
was on his way to work in
Desamparados.
Paul Chaves, director of the
UCES, said that if had not
been for the help of the
other family members they
would have not been able to
arrest the man. "The
children and the mother,
under threats, were too
scared to come forward and
make a complaint", said
Chaves. |
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