Two Former Presidents in Jail At The Same Time
Costa Rica is making history. Never in the history of Costa Rica, from the days of the Great Navigator himself, Christopher Columbus, in 1502, have Costa Ricans had to face such a situation and international humiliation.

Today's Stories: Two Former Presidents in Jail At The Same Time Taiwan Admits Donating to Ex-President Rodríguez, report says United Nation's Head Opposes Human Cloning Ban, U.S. and Costa Rica Firm Shortage of Hotel Rooms CNFL To Change More Than 7.000 Street Lamps

Fallen Angels! Former president Rafael Angel Calderón Fournier (1990-1994) Former president Miguel Angel Rodríguez Echavarria (1998-2004) See Scandals Scorecard for the latest of who's how and where! The Image of Costa Rica at Stake While reacting angered at the disclosure of corruption scandals involving two former Presidents government officials and private companies are worried about the damage to the image of their nation as a land of peace, law, and order brought upon it by the scandals. However, some agree that at the end the current crisis will be for the good, because it is a confirmation that corruption won’t go unpunished here, it doesn’t matter how high the persons involved.

Banco Elca will be dissolved! That is the news from the Consejo Nacional de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero (CONASSIF) who intervened the bank's operations on June 29, 2004. The head of the Superintendencia General de Entidades Financieras (SUGEF), Óscar Rodríguez, says the bank is not a viable operation and it is best to liquidate it completely. The president of Banco ELCA, Carlos Alvarado Moya, along with former manaher, Hernán González Peña, and advisor Javier Filloy Esna, are still in jail on three month's preventive detention. A complete report will be available tomorrow, Saturday.

The detention yesterday of former president Rafael Angel Calderón Fournier on corruption charges with respect to the government of Finland loan to the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, put Costa Rica on the world stage for a second time in less than a week.

Last Friday, former Costa Rican president, Miguel Angel Rodríguez, stepped off a Grupo TACA flight from Washington, D.C. where he had just left his post of less than a month as Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) to waiting judicial officials, who handcuffed the man in view of television and newspaper cameras and wisked him off as common criminal to waiting prosecutors.

Rodríguez was placed under "house arrest" for six months and ordered to pay a ¢250.000.000 colones bond. Rodríguez is appealing the bond payment, while the Fiscalía is appealing the house arrest, wanting nine months of jail time for the former president.

Calderón is this morning waiting on a judge's decision. It is expected the former president will also get "house arrest" though the Fiscalía is asking for six months in jail.

Calderón's lawyer has been making appeals to the news media following reports that Calderón's health was being placed at risk, since jailers did not attend to his needs of delivering specially prepared food at his jail cell, the same cell reportedly used to hold Rodríguez and others involved in the various scandals surrounding the country.

Calderón apparently suffers from "gastritis" and his lawyer was emphatic that it could lead to cancer if his clients special needs were not attended to.

 

Taiwan Admits Donating to Ex-President Rodríguez, report says
The Taiwan Embassy in Costa Rica has admitted donating $400,000 to a foundation related to scandal-hit former Costa Rican President Miguel Angel Rodríguez.

According to the report, the embassy said it donated $200,000 in 2001 and the same amount in 2002 to a foundation called Liberty and Human Development of Costa Rica, to help it hold some seminars and meetings to promote liberty and human development, but the money was eventually transferred to Inversiones Denisse, a private company believed owned by Rodríguez.

Costa Rican authorities are investigating allegations.

Media reports said Taiwan made the donations against the backdrop of its hope to regain a seat in the United Nations. Costa Rica recognizes the sovereignty of the government of Taiwan, which China regards as a breakaway province.

The Associated Press reported Sunday that Taiwan Foreign Minister Mark Chen denied the allegations, saying, "Taiwan has never given political donations to any individuals."

United Nation's Head Opposes Human Cloning Ban, U.S. and Costa Rica Firm
The head of the United Nations says he opposes a proposal to draft a treaty banning all forms of human cloning. Meanwhile, the United States and Costa Rica are standing firm in their resolve to fight for a complete ban rather than delay a vote for another year or allow a partial ban to pass.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday endorsed embryonic stem cell research and said he opposes efforts by the 61 nation coalition, headed by the U.S. and Costa Rica, to draft a treaty opposing both reproductive and research cloning.

"Obviously it is an issue for the member-states to decide, but as an individual and in my personal view, I think I would go for therapeutic cloning," Annan told reporters Thursday.

Meanwhile, a U.S. diplomatic official told the French Press Agency that its position in favor of banning all human cloning has not changed.

"A partial ban that prohibits cloning for reproductive purpose but permits the destruction of cloned human embryos for experimental purposes is unacceptable," the State Department official said.

"Our position on cloning has not changed. We believe all cloning is wrong and should be banned," the official said.

A Costa Rican representative said that his country isn't changing its mind either. However, Costa Rica's U.N. Ambassador Bruno Stagno Ugarte also said he was concerned that pressure is building to delay a vote another year.

"We are convinced that we enjoy a clear majority. However, and I think we must be realistic here, we still face the specter of some type of procedural vote as a way of avoiding our responsibilities to address an urgent and important matter," Stagno told Associated Press.

The UN's legal committee opened debate on Thursday on guidelines for drafting a human cloning ban treaty.

On Monday, Moroccan U.N. Ambassador Mohamed Bennouna, who chairs the legal committee, said he would do everything in his power to delay a vote for another year, claiming the international community is not ready to vote on the controversial issue.

"This has become such an emotional issue that I hope to avoid a vote this year," Bennouna told Reuters.

The U.S. and Costa Rica want nations to sign on to a treaty saying "human cloning, for any purpose whatsoever, is unethical, morally reproachable and contrary to due respect for the human person and that it cannot be justified or accepted."

Belgium and other European nations are rallying a smaller group of countries in opposition.

The Belgian group of nations, with twenty-one supporters, have drafted a competing proposal that bans human cloning for reproduction but allows it for research.

In a September speech, President Bush endorsed the complete ban on human cloning.

"In this session, the U.N. will consider a resolution sponsored by Costa Rica calling for a comprehensive ban on human cloning. I support that resolution and urge all governments to affirm a basic ethical principle: No human life should ever be produced or destroyed for the benefit of another," he said.

The issue has divided the U.S. presidential candidates with Senator John Kerry co-sponsoring a Senate bill, SB 303, that allows scientists to clone and kill human beings for research.

Related web sites:  United Nations -  http://www.un.org

Shortage of Hotel Rooms
The joy resulting from an increasing arrival of tourists in Costa Rica is marred by the threat of shortage in hotel rooms, both private and official sources agreed.

According to the National Chamber of Tourism and the Association of Tourism Professionals, the increase in the arrival of tourists who travel by air has averaged 8.26 percent in the last seven years, while the number of new hotel rooms has averaged only 3.26 percent.

The Minister of Tourism, Rodrigo Castro, explained that he has had recent meetings with both local and international investors to promote new investments and expand the existing facilities, in order to properly address the lodging needs of visitors.

CNFL To Change More Than 7.000 Street Lamps
In an ambitious project, the Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz (CNFL), announced that it will replace some 7.580 light bulbs in street lamps during the period of 2005-2006, at a cost of ¢320.000.000 colones per year.

Fourteen districts in the Metropolitan San José area will be affected with the better lighting on their streets.

The areas most affected with the improved lighting are Aserrí, Desamparados, Montes de Oca, La Unión, Tibás and Curridabat. The areas of Alajuelita, Escazú, Santa Ana, Alajuela, Belén, Flores, Barva and Santa Bárbara in Heredia will also see lighting improvements.

Henry Chinchilla Mora, a director at CNFL, says that the improvements will hopefully reduce the number of complaints about street lights and street lighting in general.