Preliminary hearing in Costa Rica organ trafficking case pushed to December after assassination of defense attorney

(Dr. Mora Palma was arrested while on duty at the Calderon Guardia Hospital in 2013 / ICR Archive)

Editor’s note: after questions by readers, please note that the defense attorney who was killed while traveling in a taxi earlier this month that is mentioned in this story is NOT the same person who was gunned down by gunmen with fully automatic weapons, also while traveling in a taxi earlier this month.  These are two separate incidents.  

October 29^th, 2015 (ICR News) The preliminary hearing in the case of four doctors formerly employed by the public Calderon Guardia Hospital who were charged in 2013 in an illicit scheme to traffic in human organs is now expected to take place in December after a defense attorney representing two of the doctors was gunned down by unknown assailants as he traveled in a taxi earlier this month.

The hearing was most recently scheduled for November 30th, after being postponed in July.

The most recent delay is the result of the assassination of defense attorney Roy Ching Leitón, who was gunned down by unknown assailants while traveling in a taxi on October 1^st. Ching represented several suspects linked with drug trafficking, though no motive has yet been established in the killing.  He was shot 11 times with a 9mm handgun.

Defense attorney Roy Ching Leitón was gunned down while traveling in a taxi in Zapote on October 1st. (Photo courtesy of CRHoy.com)

Amongst those charged in the organ trafficking case is Dr. Francisco Mora Palma, the former head of nephrology at Calderon Guardia, who is facing more than 140 years in prison on charges of illegal organ harvesting and embezzlement.

Authorities arrested Mora Palma on June 18^th, 2013 after an investigation revealed his involvement in an apparent transnational organ trafficking network. 

Mora Palma faces more than 140 years in prison – 10 years for each of 14 counts – if convicted only on the charges of human trafficking for the purpose of illegal organ harvesting, according to section 172 of the penal code.

Mora Palma has also been charged with 16 counts of embezzlement.

At the time of Mora Palma’s arrest, the Attorney General’s Office said that the trafficking network specialized in selling kidneys to patients in Israel.

“The patients who required the transplants were in Israeli territory, and some of the (trafficking) victims [had their kidney removed] here and others were transported to Israel.  We have information that at least one person died after being operated on in Israel,” Attorney General, Jorge Chavarria said at the time.

A police officer that allegedly recruited victims and was arrested the same day as Mora Palma is expected to be a star witness in the case as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

The case garnered international media attention at the time of the arrests.