Government Takes Civil
Action Against Seven
Accused of Insurance
Fraud
The Procuraduría de la
Ética (Ethics committee
of the Attorney
General's office)
yesterday filed a civil
action for an embargo of
us$2.1 million dollars
against seven people, as
a preventive measure,
including former Costa
Rican president, Miguel
Ángel Rodríguez, for
allegedly accepting a
payment from the British
re-insurer PWS.
In addition to the cash,
the Procuraduría is also
asking for an embargo of
four luxury vehicles,
seven properties and all
the money the seven have
in their bank accounts.
The ban is for the
movement of funds and
assets and in the case
of Rodríguez, the
Procuraduría is also
asking for an embargo of
his salary received from
the Universidad de Costa
Rica (UCR) where he is a
professor.
The former president
gives classes on
international commerce
at the Escuela de
Economía de la UCR (UCR
school of economics) and
according to university
records receives a base
salary of ¢165.826
((us$335) monthly for
2008.
The government action is
also against Cristóbal
Zawadzki, former
president of the state
insurance company, INS;
Zawadzki's wife, Gilda
Montes de Oca Marín;
Ronald Bonilla Rodríguez
(former head of
insurance at ICE); and
Porfirio Brenes Quesada
(an ICE official).
Álvaro Acuña Prado
(former head of the
reinsurance department
at INS) and his wife,
Roxana Cordero Bogantes,
are also on the list.
The Procuraduría says
that all seven people
received monies from PWS
totalling to us$2.1
million dollars, all
derived from an inflated
insurance police that
the INS paid to the
British insurer.
The civil action is an
attempt by the
government to reclaim
the overpayment by the
state insurance company
and is separate from a
judicial investigation
into the case.
Gilberth Calderón,
procurador de la Ética,
said they are now
waiting on the banks to
respond to the claim and
to see what monies is in
the accounts of the
seven. The government,
along with the civil
action, presented a
guarantee for ¢525
million colones for
damages in the event
that the alleged charges
against the seven cannot
be proven.
The Procuraduría says
the us$2.1 million is an
estimate of the money
that was overpaid to PWS
and the final amount
will be known once the
Fiscalía (prosecutor's
office) completes its
investigation, which
amount could be
substantially higher and
may include actions
against more people.
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