The Truth Slowly Emerging in the
ICE-Alcatel Scandal
Lies and more lies, that was the
feeling of prosecutors
investigating those involved in
the ICE-Alcatel scandal. And
now, one by one, the lies are
falling. And the liars? Well,
they are coming clean against
the evidence that is slowing
showing the truth.
The latest of the liars,
Instituto Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE) executive,
Guido Sibaja, had told
prosecutors last October that he
had only received us$125.000
dollars from the French
telecommunications firm Alcatel
as payment for his role in the
awarding of the GSM contract
that would see Alcatel install
400.000 cellular lines in Costa
Rica.
When pressed, Sibaja changed his
story, saying that he had
received almost us$500.000
dollars and that it all had been
spent in buying automobiles that
he had already sold and other
foolishness.
The tears convinced us, but the
numbers show a different story.
Prosecutors have since
discovered that Sibaja has
transferred two corporations and
145 hectares of land in
Guanacaste and San José to
family members. The first
movement tracked by
investigators is the transfer of
32 hectares of land in September
2004 to his daughter. Ten days
later two vehicles were
transferred from his name to
that of a corporation named
Dominical Antigua.
one other vehicle was
transferred during the same
period to the corporation MSC
Moriah, who also received from
Alcatel us$524.000 dollars, and
whose register shows Marlen
Siabaja, sister of Guido, as
president.
And investigators are digging
into what they now is more to
come. Every way they turn new
evidence surfaces, implicating
Sibaja and others involved in
the case, who have been lying
through their teeth since the
scandal broke out.
Sibaja is currently under house
arrest, along with former ICE
board director José Antonio
Lobo, who was the first to talk
and led to the detention of
former president Miguel Angel
Rodíguez, who was this week
denied an early release from his
stay at the La Reforma prison
while the investigation
continues.
Delgado Trial Began Yesterday,
One Day Late
The trial of priest
Enrique Delgado finally got
underway Tuesday morning
following a delay of one day
when the defense attorney had
asked the court for one more day
time.
Delgado is accused of sexually
abusing three boys in 2002, when
they were minors and had the
trust of the priest.
Psychologist Leda Amen, who
works for the Patronato Nacional
de la Infancia, PANI - the child
welfare agency - narrated her
version of what the young boys
told her during weeks of
therapy. The defense is assuring
that the whole situation is a
set up to extort money.
The psychologist told the court
that it is unlikely that the
boys made up the stories of
abuse that has left them
emotionally scarred.
The priest arrived in court
yesterday morning amid friends
and supporters that believe in
his innocence. Many believe that
the priest had done no wrong.
Delgado took the stand for three
hours yesterday as he made his
declarations. The boys will be
called on to make their
testimony today in the trial
that is expected to continue
until the end of the next week.
A news publication ban had been
placed on the court proceedings
at the request of the family of
the boys. No images or audio
transcripts can be published.
Early Morning Gunfight in
Desamaparados
An
intense gun fight erupted in the
early hours of Tuesday morning
in an area called Las Tablas in
San Rafael Abajo de Desamparados,
south of San José, when more
than 100 police officers from
the Delta 3 and Unidad
Intervencion Policial (UIP) -
riot squad - took action to
control the situation.
It all began at about 1:30am
when a police patrol heard
gunshots being fired near Los
Higuerones - a short distance
from the final point to the
conflict. Within seconds a
vehicle and a house had been
showered with bullets by what
police believe were two men who
fled the scene in a Isuzu
Trooper and a Nissan.
Police gave chase and found
themselves being fired upon,
which prompted the call for
assistance. The whole situation
was brought under control by
police tactical action, when it
appeared that they were giving
up, leaving the scene, when in
fact, they came back shortly
with the riot squad behind them.
The scene was controlled and by
9am, police had the two
suspected in custody and
confiscated the two vehicles and
firearms they had used. Members
of the Organismo de
Investigación Judicial (OIJ),
prosecutors and a judge were all
on the scene to effect the
detention of the tow men.
However, not all was bullets and
gunfire. Only metres away at the
Shell gasoline station, Red
Cross workers who were on the
scene of the gunfire were on
hand to perform the miracle of
life, when they attended to the
birth of a little girl.
Daylin Villalobos Chaves, 18
years of age, was on her way to
hospital when he husband
Geovanny decided to stop at the
gasoline station instead when he
saw his wife could not bear the
ride to the hospital and decided
on the help of the Red Cross
ambulance that was at the
station.
PANI Calls For "Madam" Client
List
The
Patronato Nacional de la
Infancia (PANI) - child welfare
agency- yesterday asked the
Ministerio Público to release
the names of clients of Sinaí
Monge, who was sentenced on
Monday for "proxenetismo
agravado" - the pimping of
underage prostitutes.
Rosalía Gil, head of PANI, made
the request personally from
Fiscal General, Francisco,
Dall'Anese.
"It is not just if only the
pimps are condemned, the clients
should also be tried", said PANI
president Gil. Gil is adamant
that those who sexually
exploited the minors should also
be brought to trial.
"We have to dig deeper because
this is not over as there are
others (abusers) who have not
been punished and though this
could be difficult to prove, we
need to try", added Gil.
Sinaí was found guilty and
sentenced to 8 years in prison
and to pay ¢5 million colones to
one of the young girls who
testified against her. The
Madam's client list was never
made public and is being kept
secret by the Ministerio Público,
in what some say may be part of
a deal that Sinaí made in what
many believe is a light
sentence.
The client list is believed to
contain the names of
politicians, members of the
Poder Judicial, high profile
businessmen and sports
celebrities, who all availed to
the Madam's services, some whom
may have been involved with
minors.
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Costa Rican Family Fights
Deportation, Even Against
All Odds
By David A. Lieb,
Associated Press
Marvin and Marina Gonzalez
came from Costa Rica to the
United States as tourists,
but they were intent on
making a new home for their
5-year-old daughter, Marie.
Marvin eventually got a job
in the Missouri governor's
office. Marina taught
Spanish in a Catholic
elementary school. Marie
graduated high school with
honors.
More than 13 years after
arriving, the Gonzalez
family is still here. But
their American dream could
be about to end.
In weeks, the federal
Immigration Appeals Board
could order them to leave
the country. The Gonzalezes
admit they have long
overstayed their six-month
visitor visas granted in
November 1991. They admit
they have no legal
justification to stay.
So they are doing a truly
American thing. They're
publicizing their plight
through politicians and the
media in a long-shot attempt
to get a special exception
to immigration rules.
The Gonzalezes have gathered
more than 2,300 petition
signatures asking they be
allowed to stay here longer.
Missouri's two senators and
a congressman have written
letters on their behalf.
They've appeared repeatedly
on local television and talk
radio. Marie's plea even won
an editorial endorsement
from the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch. And the
teen's story has been
featured in The Washington
Post, on MTV and in various
Hispanic publications.
On Monday night, the City
Council in Jefferson City
adopted a resolution urging
federal officials to let the
Gonzalezes stay. On Tuesday,
Marie again attracted
attention — appearing before
a state Senate committee
supporting legislation
allowing immigrants similar
to her to qualify for
in-state tuition at Missouri
colleges.
"We're basically out the
door," Marie said in an
interview. "It doesn't
matter that we've been
productive members of the
community. It doesn't matter
that we love this country.
The fact is that on a piece
of paper, we overstayed and
that's that.
"We're just relying on an
act of mercy," said Marie,
now 18, who has become not
only a spokeswoman for her
family but for a national
movement to change
immigration laws.
The Gonzalezes are just
three of what the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration
Services projects are more
than 8 million people
illegally living in the
United States. As many as
half of them — like the
Gonzalezes — may have come
here legally but have
overstayed their visas, said
Chris Bentley, a spokesman
for the federal agency.
Marvin and Marina Gonzalez
attribute their predicament
to miscommunication. When
they arrived in Los Angeles
speaking little English,
they said, attorneys told
them they could apply to
become permanent U.S.
residents if they lived here
for seven years — regardless
of the fact they entered on
six-month visitor visa.
But that option was repealed
by a federal law that took
effect in 1997. The current
law allows residence status
to be granted to illegal
aliens who have lived in the
United State for at least 10
years, but only if they have
a spouse, parent or child
who is a U.S. citizen or
legal resident. The
Gonzalezes don't have any of
those connections.
So on Feb. 23, 2004, a
federal immigration judge
ordered them to leave the
United States within 60
days. An appeal extended
their stay for the past
year. But the government's
legal briefs in the appeal
are due Thursday, meaning a
final decision on
deportation could come
anytime after that.
With little chance of
prevailing legally, the
Gonzalezes are hoping the
federal Department of
Homeland Security, which
oversees immigration issues,
will take the rare step of
placing their case on
"deferred action" — allowing
them to stay here
indefinitely despite their
illegal status.
Even more unusual would be
passage of a private bill in
Congress specifically
granting them U.S.
residency.
Republican Sens. Christopher
Bond and Jim Talent and
Democratic Rep. Ike Skelton
all have written the
Homeland Security Department
or Immigration Appeals Board
on behalf of the Gonzalezes.
But no one has introduced a
private bill for them in
Congress.
Bond said the Gonzalezes
have a compelling — but not
unique — case compared to
similar immigrants he has
tried to help over the
years.
"Each one of them has a
heart-wrenching story," Bond
said Thursday while visiting
the state Capitol.
It may be Marvin Gonzalez's
prominence at the Capitol
that led to the deportation
proceedings.
After struggling to make
ends meet running a
restaurant, then getting
laid off at a factory,
Marvin Gonzalez went to work
as a courier for former
Missouri Gov. Bob Holden.
His duties included opening
the governor's mail at the
height of the anthrax
scares. But Holden, who had
praised Gonzalez for his
work, ended up firing him in
June 2002 after someone
tipped the office that
Gonzalez was an illegal
alien.
The media wrote stories
about the firing, and a
deportation case began the
next month.
As they had before, the
Gonzalezes continue to fly
the American flag outside
the modest house that they
own. Marie said she can't
even recall living in Costa
Rica.
"Whether I'm a citizen of
here or not, this is where I
call home," she said.
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