Prosecutor
Says Journalist Not Being Persecuted
The prosecutor in charge of the Medina murder cases,
Guiselle Rivero, who ordered the
arrest of Diario Extra journalist, Adrián Marrero, spoke out in defense
of her actions, saying that the journalist is not being persecuted or
that there is attempt to take away the journalist's freedom of speech.
Rather he is being investigated as a citizen, as could any other citizen
be, for his possible participation in threats received by witnesses in
the going investigation of the murder of journalist Parmenio Medina.
The prosecutor was clear to add that he was not arrested for what he
wrote and published in the daily Spanish newspaper, but rather for his
behaviour towards those being held in jail for their part in the crime.
Marrero was arrested early Wednesday afternoon outside the offices of
the Diario Extra in downtown San José and released on condition in the
early hours of Thursday morning.
An investigation is underway over the actions of Marrero as a possible
conspirator in the recent developments that saw Father Minor Calvo back
in jail over allegations of witnesses being threatened.
The prosecutor's office ordered the arrest of Marrero when a cellular
telephone was found hidden in the cell of one of the accused, Luis
Aguirre Jaime, that was used to make threatening phone calls to
witnesses.
Marrero is accused of leaving behind the telephone in the jail cell of
Jaime and which was subsequently used to threaten witnesses.
911. Not An
Emergency? 35.000 Colones Fine!
A false call to the 911 emergency
system costs the caller a 35.000 colones fine, which is added to the
originating telephone bill, which if left unpaid, runs the risk of
losing the line.
This was the measure adopted last month following thousands of false
calls being received by the emergency, saturating resources and running
the risk of a real emergency not being attended to.
Last month was the first month that the fine was applied and authorities
at 911 say they effected some 400 fines.
According to Germán Guendel, a director at 911 service, most of the
false calls come from public telephones. Guendel tells of one caller who
made at least 184 calls just to insult the 911 operators.
The 911 service was introduced in Costa Rica in 1994.
Saving on Fuel
Forced by the
increasing prices, Costa Ricans are using less fuel
than they used to.
The Costa Rican Petroleum
Refinery (RECOPE in Spanish) disclosed that the
sales of fuels decreased by 3.3 million liters
(880,000 gallons) from April to May.
That means an
overall 1.66 percent drop, while for regular
gasoline – used by most cars – the decrease
was 4.4 percent in May.
This year, gasoline prices have undergone 6 hikes, practically one hike
a month.
 News
Briefs
-
Monday is a big day for priest
Minor Calvo, the priest accused
of being a principal author in
the murder of Parmenio Medina,
when he was detained and held in
preventative detention a second
time for being part of a series
of threats made against
witnesses. Monday a judge will
decide on a petition presented
by Calvo's lawyer.
- Pastor Herrera was sentenced to a 15 year prison sentence for
murdering his 3 year old step child, Jean Carlo Ordóñez Álvarez. The
child died as a result of several severe beatings given by the man.
The little boy was admitted to hospital in October 2000 complaining of
stomach pains and died days later while still in hospital.
- A woman who pretended to be a domestic employee only to rob a
house was arrested by police in San Ramon de Tres Rios, east of San
José, that included a police chase of the vehicle she was riding in
and several gun shots being fired. The woman identified only by her
last name, Cisneros Oviedo, pretended to be a domestic employee who
allowed two armed men to enter the house were she was recently
employed.
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