Cameras To Keep Immigration Employees Honest
The Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (immigration service) as part of its efforts to fight corruption within its ranks, has made the bold move of placing cameras at strategic points within its offices located in La Uruca.

Immigration director, Mario Zamora, said that the closed circuit television cameras that is installed in its central offices will also be installed at all immigration posts around the country.

Zamora said that the initiative is part of a plan to control the level of corruption which the immigration service is famous for. The cameras will be keeping an eye on immigration employees, as well as lawyers who frequent the hallways of the central offices.

The director is serious about curbing corruption. During the past ten months some 187 charges for acts of corruption have been filed against public functionaries which are part of the Ministerio de Gobernación.

A number of immigration service functionaries have been removed from their posts in Paso Canoas (border point with Panama), Peñas Blancas (border point with Nicaragua) and the airport Juan Santamaría in San José, all suspected of corruption.

Zamora himself was the target of being offered bribes by a group of Orientals who had agreed to pay the director us$5.000 for a visa to some 2.500 Chinese nationals. Zamora, in co-ordination with government officials and police, ran a sting against the group.

The cameras have been placed mainly in the areas where passports, visas and temporary residences are processed. "We believe we need to control the actions of functionaries to better service and to demonstrate transparency to the public", said Zamora.

Zamora refused to comment on the cost of the project, only saying that for the major part they will be using cameras that have been in storage for some time in the immigration warehouse.

Zamora added that the public will soonhave access to the images captured by the cameras on its website. "Everyone can observe what is happening in the various offices, like Paso Canoas and Peñas Blancas and can see any irregularities", said Zamora.

The director added that the majority of the cameras are installed in plain sight, while there will be unspecified number that are hidden from the employees and the public.

Zamora added that the project has the full support of the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública.