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Mall San
Pedro Investigated for possible Tax Evasion
Members of La Fiscalía de Delitos Tributarios,
and the OIJ are investigating the possible
evasion of taxes, that can run in the millions,
by the owners of Mall San Pedro, located east of
San José.
Agents yesterday raided offices the owners of
the Mall, it's manager and lawyers, that are
located in the large complex.
In addition, the home of the manager was also
raided, to recover evidence for the authorities
to build their case. There, authorities are to
have found files and documents related to their
investigation.
Charges are expected to be forthcoming.
Possible
Telephone Scam Offering Prizes
In the last few days, at least 80 people have
received telephone calls claiming they had won a
prize and could pick it up at the offices of
Panasonic, in San Antonio de Belen.
Panasonic officials have issued a press release
advising that there is no prize being given away
and that the calls may be part of a scam to get
personal information, like credit card numbers.
According to a Panasonic spokesperson, this past
week, several people from various places of the
country have shown up at their offices to claim
their prizes. Some said that they were asked
their address, along with other personal
information.
If you receive such a call, do not give out any
personal information over the telephone and take
the name and number of the caller. Most likely
they will hang up or offer some excuse why they
cannot do that.
President
Pacheco's Campaign Finances Problem Continues
In the past few weeks, possible irregularities
in President Pacheco's campaign funding have
been a topical item for discussion and pressure
by members of the legislative assembly.
Yesterday, it was revealed that US$500.000
Dollars was received by the Pacheco campaign
from banks in Taiwan. Donations of US$300.000
and US$200.000 by Sunshine Co. Ltd. y Pacific
Co. Ltd., respectively, were deposited to the
account o Compañía Bayamo S. A. at the Banco
Internacional de Costa Rica (BICSA) Panamá, the
account that held campaign funds ofr Pacheco.
Pacheco, who is currently on his second official
visit to Taiwan, was said to have no specific
details of the campaign funds - what was donated
and from whom.
In addition to the funds from Taiwan, there is
also a deposit to the same account of the Compañía
Bayamo, for US$140.000 from a Swiss bank.
The calm before
the storm?
• August
17th, 2003 Significant drop in Honduran child
and youth murders in July…
The number of
murders in Honduran children and youth under
the age of 23 in July dropped from an average
of 50-60 a month to twenty-eight. Whilst the
news that "only" 28 children and
youth were killed during the past 30 days is
received with cautious optimism, some consider
this to be the calm before the storm as the
discussion of a new "anti-gang" law
finished with the controversial legislation
being approved.
Of the 28
victims in July, 96% (27) were males and 43%
were children under the age of 18 years old.
Tegucigalpa was the most violent city with 11
child and youth murders, followed closely by
San Pedro Sula with 10 victims. The city of
Choloma had two victims in July and one each
in Tela, Puerto Cortes, Ocotepeque, Comayagua
y El Progreso.
Ninety percent
of the murders were carried out with firearms
and the perpetrators in 65% of the crimes have
not yet been identified. Nine of the murders
are attributed to gang members and one to the
police.
During the
month of July the Honduran Congress discussed
the application of a law commonly known as the
"Anti Gang Law" which designates
gangs as groups designed to commit unlawful
acts. The law was unanimously approved on
August 7th. As a result of the change of
Article 332 of the Penal Code, membership of a
gang has become an illicit association, which
carries a sentence of up to seven years in
jail. The changes in the Criminal Code also
approve the jailing of gang leaders from 9 to
12 years.
According to
the Minister of Public Security, Oscar
Alvarez, gang members are planning reprisals
against public officials who proposed and
approved the legislation.
"Whilst
certain unidentified groups seem to continue
to target and kill young people, it seems that
the violence between young gang members has
been dramatically reduced this month",
commented Bruce Harris, the Regional Director
of Casa Alianza's programs in Latin America.
"The gangs appear to have united to fight
against their now common enemy, the
police".
Casa Alianza is
concerned that if the police start a major
crack down against the estimated 30,000 plus
active gang members then there will be nowhere
to lock them up, which seems to be the
intention of the authorities and the desire of
the public. The Inter American Commission on
Human Rights condemned Honduras in 1997 for
the illegal detention of children together
with adults in the same prison cells.
Guatemalan
authorities fear that many Honduran gang
members may flee to the neighboring country.
El Salvador's President Flores also declared a
"war on gangs" last month which
resulted in the detention of more than 400
gang members, most of whom were released in
less than 24 hours by the judges as the police
presented no evidence of criminal acts.
The great
majorities of gang members come from broken
families and see the gang as their family
unit. The gangs have become very violent in
recent years, as police tactics to redress the
situation have been very repressive. There is
a continuing spiral of violence, which has led
to the deaths of more and more children and
youth.
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Time has come to resume the fight to bring the dream of 'the Americas' back to life
Speaking during an official visit to Buenos Aires (Argentina), Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias has ridiculed US State Department paranoia and says that neither he or his government have any plans to "export our revolutionary model." Chavez
does, however, say that "the time has come to complete liberation efforts begun by South American founding father, The Liberator Simon Bolivar.
During his speech to the Argentine Senate, President Chavez said "Venezuela is going through a revolutionary process which it is not out to sell, make a gift of or impose on others nations ... to do that would be pretentious and deeply disrespectful."
Referring to Venezuelan-born Liberator Simon Bolivar, Argentina's Jose de San Martin and former Argentine President Juan Peron, Chavez insists that Latin American integration will only prosper by looking back to and learning from the past ... "San Martin and Bolivar decided to break the 300 year chains of Spanish and European domination and extermination ... the greatest in the history of nations. Both men wrote about patriotic deeds, but then the fire went out and their greatest of dreams were not to be!"
"Independence from Spanish colonial rule did not bring about the independence of the (Latin) American peoples ... they only switched masters ... a chain was broken to be replaced by other chains. Now, as Juan Peron predicted, we are not united in the 21st century ... we remain dominated. I believe the time has come to resume the fight for true independence and to bring the dream of 'the Americas' back to life."
Commentators in Buenos Aires say that Chavez mention of "other chains" is a clear condemnation of a United States push to dominate the southern hemisphere ... his controversial speech received a receptive ovation from Argentinean Senators across the floor in a current situation where many Argentineans blame their economic woes on a United States' imposed neoliberal economic model backed by international finance institutions in Washington.
US defense secretary visits Colombia
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld started on Tuesday his first visit to Colombia, whose government seeks to increase the US assistance in fighting drug trafficking and terrorism.
During his visit, Rumsfeld is to meet with President Alvaro Uribe, Defense Minister Marta Ramirez, Foreign Minister Carolina Barco and leaders of the armed forces.
More than 13,000 troops, police and secret agents were in placeto provide security for Rumsfeld's visit.
President George W. Bush had approved the resumption of drug surveillance flights over Colombia after a two-year suspension, Rumsfeld said in an interview en route from Washington to the Colombian capital,
Bogota.
Drug surveillance flights over Colombia were stopped in April 2001 after a missionary plane was mistakenly shot down by a Peruvian fighter jet acting on US intelligence. Procedural errors,language problems and inadequate Peruvian air control were blamed for the accident.
Last week, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myersvisited Bogota, and asked the neighboring countries to support Colombia through reinforcements on their borders.
Colombia's stability is one of Washington's priorities in LatinAmerica and the Andean nation is the third most important recipient of US military assistance, after Israel and Egypt.
Colombia, ravaged by a four-decades-old civil war, which kills about 3,500 people every year, has intensified its cooperation with the United States in anti-drug fight in recent years.
In the past three years, Washington has provided to Bogota some3 billion US dollars as part of the so-called Plan Colombia against drug trafficking and insurgency.
Rumsfeld will end his visit in Colombia on Wednesday and then will go on to Honduras.
Brazil declares national mourning for the death of UN envoy
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva Tuesday declared a three-day national mourning for the death of the United Nations special representative to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
Vieira de Mello, 55, a Brazilian diplomat, was killed in a suspected suicide bombing at the UN's Baghdad headquarters Tuesday,which killed at least 17 people and injured more than 100.
During a reception held for visiting Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, Lula asked for a minute of silence in remembrance of Vieirade Mello. He said he "vehemently condemned this terrorist act," adding that Vieira de Mello was a victim of "terrorist insanity".
Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, who at the time was meeting with Lula, offered his condolence to the Brazilian people, to the victim's family and to the United Nations.
The attack shows "that it is sometimes more difficult to win the peace than the war," the Chilean president said.
In a communique, Brazil's Foreign Ministry condemned the attackand said that "Brazil rejects any form of terrorism and in particularly those headed against organizations that work for the promotion of peace."
Vieiro de Mello was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan as his special envoy for Iraq in late May to help build peace in the war-battered country. He was also the world body's high commissioner for human rights.
Mexico condemns attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad
The Mexican government condemned Tuesday the attack on the United Nations headquarters inBaghdad, which left at least 17 dead and more than 100 others injured.
Alfonso Durazo, the spokesman for the presidential office, saidthe attack "was an unprecedented incident, which makes it clear once again that terrorism poses a threat not only to every member country of the United Nations, but also to the international organization itself."
Mexico "pledges its support to the organization and considers the task UN undertakes in Iraq as a fundamental factor in the process of reconstruction for the benefit of the Iraqi people," the spokesman added.
"The government of Mexico, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, expresses once again a firm condemnation of the attack and the repudiation of such a terrorist act. And at the same time it expresses its sympathy and solidarity with the UN" and the families of the victims of the attack, Durazo said.
Brazilian diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello, a veteran UN diplomat, was among the 17 killed on Tuesday in the truck bombing attack at Baghdad's Canal Hotel housing the UN headquarters.
Vieira de Mello, 55, was appointed by UN Secretary-General KofiAnnan as his special envoy for Iraq in late May, to help build peace in the war-battered country. He was also the world body's high commissioner for human rights.
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