President Pacheco Assured There is No Crisis in Costa Rica
"This government, like others, has responsible people and when one goes another takes the helm... Ricardo Toledo will be missed. Apart from being an ingenious politician he is my friend.." were the words of President Abel Pacheco on Tuesday.

Today's Stories: President Pacheco Assured There is No Crisis in Costa Rica Former CCSS President Eliseo Vargas Detained Follow the Money; Calderón Deposits in Miami Account Spanish Tourism to Costa Rica Increased 23% New Los Angeles Auxiliary a Native of Costa Rica CONCACAF SOCCER: Canada Needs Win in Costa Rica Did you know?

Eliseo Vargas Garcia, former president of the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS), stands before a judge in the Tribunales de Goicoechea, where he was remanded pending a court decision on the request by the Ministerio Publico, for one year preventive detention. Vargas was the third person to be detained in this snowballing "Fischel/CCSS" scandal. Walter Reiche Fischel and Fischel company lawyer, Randall Vargas Pérez, were the first two detained and are in preventive detention while the investigation continues.

Did you Know? As far as climate goes, the late -December to mid - April dry season is the most pleasant. But of course, this is when everyone else goes to Costa Rica, so prices are up and hotels are full. Although some roads are impassable in the wet season, it's still worthwhile to visit at this time, and things are much quieter. April, May and mid - October to mid-December should give you the best of both worlds.

The president assures that all is under control, though most Costa Ricans are not so convinced.

A probe by local channel 7 news, Telenoticias, tells how Ticos on the street are worried and concerned about the management of the country.

Concerns expressed include the worry that now that Toledo is gone, there is talk again about protests and blockades.

Other comments say that Pacheco was doing great job at the beginning, but now things are a mess.

Many Ministers and government heads have left the Pacheco administration.

The latest to leave were Revenue Minister, Alberto Dent, and Minister for the Presidency, Ricardo Toledo.

Only nine Ministers are still at their posts from the beginning: Alberto Trejos (Comercio Exterior), Guido Saenz (Ministro de Cultura), Ovidio Pacheco (Ministro de Trabajo), Rodolfo Coto (Ministro de Agricultura), Rocio Saenz (Ministra de Salud), Rosalia Gil (Ministro Cond. de la Niñez), Javier Chaves (Ministro Obras Publicas y Transporte), Roberto Tovar (Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores), and, Rogelio Ramos (Ministro de Seguridad Publica).

Pacheco added to this comments that Toledo had been under a lot of pressure these last few weeks and that only Toledo's courage and strength allowed the toleration.

On the subject of former president Calderón, Pacheco was cautious, only saying it is best to wait the outcome of the Judicial investigation before making any comments.

In the coming days Pacheco is expected to announce the appointment of a Revenue Minister to replace Dent and an appointment to replace Toledo.

Former CCSS President Eliseo Vargas Detained
The former president of the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS), Eliseo Vargas Garcia, presented himself before the Fiscalia (prosecutor's office) on Tuesday after lunch and following a lenghty interview, he was detained by the end of the day.

The Fiscalia has asked for a year preventive detention against the man who is in the centre of the storm surrounding the Corporacion Fischel and a multi million dollar credit by the government of Finland for the CCSS to purchase medical equipment.

Walter Reiche Fischel is currenlty in preventive detention at the San Sebastian jail in San José and former Costa Rican president, Rafael Angel Calderón, is being investigated for his acceptance of $440.000 dollars from Fischel.

Vargas was detained following his statemenet before the Fiscalía de Delitos Económicos y Anticorrupción, del Ministerio Público, who had opened a case against the man for negociaciones incompatibles, enriquecimiento ilícito y cohecho - fraud, illicit enrichment and conspiracy.

Vargas is being held in a temporary facility while a San José court decides on the Fiscalia's request for preventive detention.
 

Follow the Money; Calderón Deposits in Miami Account
A report by the daily Spanish newspaper La Nación reveals that the transfer of $440.000 from the Harcourt Holdings in Panama, controlled by Walter Reiche Fischel, to former president Rafael Ángel Calderón, were deposited in a Miami bank.

The money was sent on May 19, 2003 and January 9, 2004, to an account held by the Sultana de Panamà, controlled by Calderón, at the Northern Trust Bank of Florida. The money was deposited to account no. 1011004808.

The documents of the transfer, signed by Fischel, are part of the documents that the Panamian judicials has sent to Costa Rica, and which La Nación was able to obtain in Panama.

The payments sent by the BAC Panamá bank details the payment by Fischel to Sultana as "fees".

Costa Rican prosecutors, Yara Esquivel Soto and Juan Carlos Carrillo Mora, have been in Panama since Sunday, sent there by the Costa Rica Fiscal General, Francisco Dall’ Anese, to obtain all the details forming part of their investigation.

The two prosecutors were in Panama to obtain documents and evidence of the dealings between Marchwood Holdings Inc., Harcourt Holdings Inc. and O. Fischel R. y Cia., all related to Walter Reiche Fischel, who is currently in a Costa Rican jail.

The Tico prosecutors asked for a lifting of the secret banking rules in Panama with respect to those companies, which led them to the trail of the money transfers. The request includes the investigation of other bank accounts that may be related to the Fischel / CCSS case.

The lifting of the secret banking rules was made under and agreement by both countries called "Tratado de Asistencia Legal Mutua (TALM)".

The Panamanian authorities, completing their role in the Costa Rican request, handed over all documents in the case, including cheques and bank transfers made by the companies.

The documentation containing some 400 pages was sent by the La Procuradora General de la Nación de Panamá to the Procuraduría General de la República en Costa Rica across normal channels established by both countries.
 

Spanish Tourism to Costa Rica Increased 23%
Direct flights between Spain and Costa Rica are on the increase. AirMadrid began operations in Costa Rica last June and now carries more than 600 passengers each week, on two flights.

In October, AirMadrid is expected to begin daily direct flights, though no formal announcement has been made. Iberia will also commence daily direct flights between San José and Spain.

According to AirMadrid, Spanish tourism to Costa Rica has increased 23% this year. The company expects the increase to stay and is studying the possibility of increase the number of direct flights.

Other airlines offering service between Spain, Europe and Costa Rica stop in Miami. Most Europeans prefer the direct flights, avoiding the hassles of U.S. immigration, who now require all visitors to the U.S. to have a visa.

In the past, passengers on route to points outside the U.S. took advantange of the "transit visa" system, where the passengers never entered U.S. territory, was simply in transit at the airport, continuing on to their destination.

New Los Angeles Auxiliary a Native of Costa Rica
Pope John Paul II has appointed Monsignor Alexander Salazar, the 54-year-old vice chancellor of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, as auxiliary bishop.

Alexander Salazar was born in San José, Costa Rica. His family came to the United States in 1953 and settled in Los Angeles. He became a U.S. citizen at the age of 18.

Salazar studied at California State University, Los Angeles, and later at Immaculate Heart College, Los Angeles, where in 1978 he received a bachelor's in bilingual studies.

In 1977, he entered St. John's Seminary in Camarillo. He was ordained a priest in June 1984.

Bishop-designate Salazar has served in a number of pastoral and archdiocesan assignments, including being pastor of St. Teresa of Avila Parish.
 

CONCACAF SOCCER:
Canada Needs Win in Costa Rica
The light at the end of the World Cup qualifying tunnel will be a lot harder to see if the Canadian men's soccer team loses to Costa Rica tonight.

Canada is 0-1-1 after picking up just one of six possible points at home in a 2-0 loss to Guatemala and 1-1 tie with Honduras.

Guatemala has six points, Honduras four and Costa Rica none after two games.

Each team plays the other home and away, with the top two in the group advancing to the final round of qualifying in the CONCACAF region, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Another worry is the fact the game will be played on an artificial Turf surface that will be more familiar to the Costa Ricans.

The Costa Ricans, 0-2, will be under pressure to produce against Canada.

Soccer is their game and nobody expected a side ranked third in CONCACAF and 33rd in the world - some 66 places above Canada - to be in the basement at this stage.

All in all, these two teams really need to win this game.