The lawyer for former Costa Rican president, Rafael Angel Calderón, in his closing statement in the Fischel-Caja trial said he considers the penalty of 24 years prison asked by the Ministerio Público is excessive. Juan Marcos Rivero made the statement to the judges of the Tribunales de Justicia de Goicoechea in the final phase of the long trial.

Rivero said the court penalty asked for his client is in contrast to only the four years asked for against co-defendant Walter Reiche Fischel, based on the act of being sorry, but without confession to any crime of embezzlement or corruption as he is charged.

Rivero asked the judges to find his client not guilty of all charges, but in the case that they feel just to impose a penalty it should be in the form of a suspended sentence.

Calderón, Reiche and six others are all charged with embezzling the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) in the purchase of medical equipment with a loan from the government of Finland, equipment that for the most part was not either required or adequate for the Caja.

The Caja, the offended party has separately asked the court to for damages of us$43 million dollars.

Calderón is also the presidential candidate for the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana for the 2010 presidential elections.