Fugitive Luis Milanés In
Custody in Costa Rica
Luis Ángel Milanés
Tamayo, wanted in Costa
Rica for fraud since
2002, is now in Costa
Rica and in the custody
of the Ministerio
Público after he was
deported from El
Salvador when
immigration officials
there found
irregularities with his
travel documents before
boarding a flight for
Costa Rica.
Milanés who headed
Savings Unlimited, also
known as "the Cubans"
high interest payment
investment is accused of
bilking thousands of
investors, mainly
foreigners, of some
us$200 million dollars.
The Ministerio Público
has issued an
international warrant
for Ministerio Público
after he disappeared,
along with the money,
back in 2002, after
closing the doors to his
office located on Paseo
Colón.
Milanés was detained at
the Aeropuerto
Internacional de El
Salvador, where he had
entered illegally, and
was to have boarded a
flight for Costa Rica.
Milanés identified
himself as a naturalized
in Costa Rica Cuban with
the last names Rodríguez
Martínez. Milanés was
also found to be holding
an expired Cuban
passport with his true
identity.
On arrival at 2:40pm in
Costa Rica, Milanés was
met with agensts of the
Poder Judicial who took
him in to custody and
ushered in handcuffs to
the main court offices
of the Ministerio
Público in San José. The
order for the Milanés
capture was requested by
the Juzgado Penal de San
José on December 19,
2002.
Milanés told the
television news cameras
that he had in fact
given himself up to
Salvadorian officials
and asked to be returned
to Costa Rica. Asked why
he waited so long for
his return and why using
a false identification,
Milanés said that he
feared for his life if
he had returned to Costa
Rica, fearing he would
be killed if he used his
real name.
Savings Unlimited closed
its doors in November
2002, leaving with an
alleged us$200 million
dollars belonging to his
2.600 customers. Milanés
disappared on November
23, 2002 and with some
us$5 million dollars
with him, according to
the International Police
(Interpol) and under
circumstances never made
clear.
Milanés now will face
the Juzgado Penal de San
José and according to
judicial sources could
face up to 10 years in
prison if found guilty
of fraud.
Milanés assures that he
not guilty, has done
nothing wrong and will
soon clarify everything
to his investors.
According to authorities
Milanés attracted money
from investors to engage
in activities such as
casinos, hotels and
other businesses, paying
interest to his
investors up to 3% per
month.
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