INVU Director Joins List of Public Officials
and Politicians Caught Drunk Driving
The president of the Instituto Nacional de
Vivienda y Urbanismo (INVU), Jorge Sánchez
Zúñiga, is the latest to be picked up by the
Policía de Tránsito for drunk driving, when
he collided with another vehicle Friday
night in Escazú and allegedly offering the
police a bribe.
Sánchez, who as driving a Nissan Pathfinder,
property of the Ministerio de Vivienda
(Housing ministry), blew 2.42 for Tránsito
(traffic) officials. The legal limit under
the new Ley de Tránsito that went into
effect on December 23, 2008, is 0.75.
The public official is now facing criminal
charges and the vehicle was confiscated and
is in the hands of the Fiscalía de Pavas.
The accident occurred about 10:30pm on
Friday on the road between Guachipelín and
San Rafael de Escazú, near the AM PM
supermarket, when Sánchez was zigzagging and
ran into a Toyota Prado, according to
witnesses.
No one was hurt in the collision and damage
the vehicles were minor, the Policía de
Tránsito reported.
Johnny Miranda Barquero, one of the two
Policía Municipal de Escazú officials at the
scene, told the Spanish language daily that
Sánchez identified himself as the president
of the INVU and offered him ¢700.000
($1.200) to turn a blind eye. Miranda told
reporters that Sánchez had told him that he
was going home from a party.
"He was drunk and stumbling all over the
place", Miranda said.
Sánchez was finally set free after spending
some time behind bars in the Fiscalía de
Turno Extraordinario de San José, in
Guadalupe de Goicoechea and is one more to
the list of public officials found driving
under the influence of alcohol.
The ministra de Vivienda, Clara Zomer, said
yesterday that she was not aware of the
details of what had happened, but assured
that an internal investigation will be
conducted.
"When we are dealing with public goods, an
investigation is warranted", said Zomer.
The INVU is an autonomous public entity of
the Rectoría del Sector Social y del
Ministerio de Vivienda, helping the poor
with their housing needs.
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