The Caja-Fischel Saga Continues
Like a snowball, it keeps getting bigger as it rolls down the hill.

The Caja-Fischel saga began with the discovery of the house that the former president of the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) was owned by the president of the pharmaceutical giant Corporación Fischel, Walter Reiche Fischel.

Today's Stories: The Caja-Fischel Saga Continues Arias Buys Television Time to Send his Message Costa Rica Deports Possible Terrorists President Pacheco Addresses UN General Assembly Harris to be Investigated in Guatemala and Nicaragua Did You Know?

The Asociación Bancaria Costarricense (ABC), is fulfilling it's promise to make good on small deposits up to ¢500.000 colones. The payment is only available to individuals and not corporate entities. However, and read this carefully, you will not be able to withdraw any funds if your account or the sum of your accounts is above the ¢500.000 colones. The ABC will not allow depositors to waive the difference. One ABC official we spoke to yesterday said that the larger accounts will be paid out in the second stage, beginning the middle of October. The official reminded us that there is no obligation on the part of ABC to pay one, and those who qualify for payments should consider themselves lucky. Period.

Did you Know? Costa Rica has 10 native species of fragrant orchids, and their fragrance is used to attract certain pollinating insects Species: Cattleya dowiana, Encyclia cordigera, Brassayola nodosa, Stanhopeas (different species of),Encyclia fragans, Ensyclia Brassavolae, Tricopilia suavis, Cycnoches chlorochilon, Epidendrum ciliare, Gongoras

Each week there have more revelations and of more people involved and more money exchanging hands.

Reiche and Fischel lawyer, Randal Vargas, were the first to be arrested.

Then followed the news that former Costa Rican president, Rafael Angel Calderón Fournier, had received money from the Caja-Fischel deal and followed by the arrest of Vargas.

Last week, the laws offices of Calderón were raided by the authorities and following an interview, Gerardo Bolaños, Calderón's law partner was arrested for having received $90.000 of the funds related to the case.

Bolaños was placed under house arrest and several days later decided to return the money he had received.

Yesterday, it was made public that Calderón had deposited an amount of $520.500 Dollars with the Supreme Court, the sum equal to the monies received by the Sultana company in Panama, that is controlled by Calderón, paid by Harcourt Holdings, also of Panama, controlled by Reiche.

The money represents the $440.500 Dollars received by Calderón and the $80.000 Dollars paid to Alfonso Guardia on behalf of Calderón, who is Calderón's first cousin.

The money received by Calderón and others forms part of a commission paid to public functionaries following the approval of a $37.000.000 Dollars credit from the government of Finland to the Caja - dubbed the "Fischel-Caja Costarricense Proyecto Finlandia".

Calderón made a brief appearance before the press to make his announcement, but left the question answering to his lawyer, Gonzalo Castellón.

The former president was clear to say that the devolution does not mean he is guilty, rather, that the money is being deposited with the authorities in the event the fiscal (prosecutor) and a competent court declares that the money belongs to others - person or corporation.

Calderón's lawyer emphasized that his giving back of the money had nothing to do with the Bolaños restitution last week. Castellón told the press that the decision by Calderón had been made more than a week ago, however, they were looking for a way to give back the money without looking guilty.

The Fiscal General de la República, Francisco Dall´anesse, added his comments, saying that the payment by Calderón changes nothing. "Absolutely nothing. The case will go ahead the same, no change in course of that the Ministerio Público has taken...", said the Fiscal.

On the heels of the Calderón decision came the news of the arrest of Marvin Barrantes, a new suspect in the Caja-Fischel investigation. Barrantes had been employee of the Corporación Fischel until some time ago.

Barrantes was detained following his appearance before the Fiscalia (prosecutor's office) to give his statement of his involvement in the case. Barrantes is believed to have received up to $1.4 Million Dollars for his role and which most of it is in foreign banks.

And the last news of the day revolving around the Caja-Fischel saga is the announcement of a court hearing to be held Tuesday afternoon at the Goicoechea courts, where Walter Reiche, Eliseo Vargas and Fischel lawyer, Randall Vargas, are to appear before a judge to request that they be freed from preventive detention.

The player roster to date:

- Walter Reiche Fischel, in preventive detenetion
- Randall Vargas, Fischel lawyer,  in preventive detenetion
- Eliseo Vargas, former president of the Caja,  in preventive detenetion
- Rafael Angel Calderón, former president of Costa Rica, cannot leave the country
- Gerardo Bolaños, Calderón's law firm partner, under house arrest
- Marvin Barrantes, former Fischel employee, under detention
 

Arias Buys Television Time to Send his Message
Óscar Arias, former president of Costa Rica (1986-1990) and presidential pre-candidate in the 2006 elections, purchased a five minute spot on national television to reinforce his position that Costa Rica strengthen controls against corrupt public functionaries.

Arias lamented on the current situation surrounding the Caja-Fischel and the direction the country has taken, suggesting changes so that public funds will not be squandered.

The former president applauded the work of the Ministerio Público and of the press and asked legislators for law reforms to avoid traffic of influence by public officials.
 

Costa Rica Deports Possible Terrorists
Costa Rica deported the two men who tried to enter the country on Sunday using false European documents and who officials fear may have links to terrorists, the country's immigration director said Monday.

Immigration Director Marco Badilla said Costa Rica chose to deport the two, who may have been Jordanians, "for convenience, because we do not want to have people like that here" and to avoid a drawn-out court case.

Badilla said the men had been turned over to officials in El Salvador on Sunday and would be sent on to Honduras.

"From here, we will deport them to Guatemala," Honduran Immigration Director-General Ramon Romero said.

Badilla said the men were supposedly headed to Canada. "We cannot confirm that we are dealing with terrorists, but neither can we discount the possibility that they have some link to that type of group," he said.

He said the men had Jordanian passports identifying them as Ismail Mohamad Nassar and Fawas Ne Meh Mousa. They had presented Costa Rican immigration officers with documents from Belgium and France identifying them as Maximilien O. Regout L.R.M and Sylvain Marcel Hurel Yannic, as they tried to enter Costa Rica Sunday morning.

Badilla said the men told officials they had flown from Jordan to Spain on Sept. 5, and then traveled to Cuba and Guatemala. They said they purchased false passports there and then went by road to Honduras.

"I don't believe that version is reliable, because the route is very complicated. What's more, they said they paid $1,000 for the documents, but they were very fine work. It can't be that they were charged that," Badilla said.

He said he was also suspicious because they tried to bribe agents at the airport so they could fly to Canada.

A spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, said Canadian officials had not been informed of the case

Badilla said the FBI in the U.S. had been notified, as the international police agency Interpol.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy  in Costa Rica, said Costa Rica was not required to notify the United States since the men were not headed there.

The deportations came nearly two weeks after Costa Rica asked the United States to remove it from a list of Iraq coalition partners because the Constitutional Court ruled inclusion on the list violated the country's pacifist principles.

Honduran officials said in July that a suspected al-Qaida figure, Adnan G. El Shukrijumah, had been spotted there earlier in the year.

Another group has posted Web site threatening to attack El Salvador for its continuing military support in Iraq.

President Pacheco Addresses UN General Assembly
President Abel Pacheco, in his address to the United Nations yesterday, proposed to other world leaders better access to markets, credits, fair prices and international cooperation to reduce poverty and hunger around the world.

Leaders from nearly 100 countries are in New York to participate in the main annual debate, which is slated run through the end of the month at the United Nations General Assembly.

The debate opened, by tradition, with an address by the President of Brazil and leaders of the United States, Qatar, Gabon, Switzerland, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica and Slovenia.

The fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly, is being presided by the Foreign Minister of Gabon, Jean Ping, who has pledged to work for reform ahead of next year's sixtieth anniversary.

The focus of the event this year is on the protection of civilians, who are the primary victims in today's violent conflicts. National leaders and other officials in town for the general debate will be able to sign, ratify, or accede to any treaty on deposit at the UN.

International human rights treaties will be spotlighted along with those more directly connected with armed conflict, such as the Genocide Convention, the Convention against Torture, the Rome Statute which established the International Criminal Court, and the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. Complementing these pacts are a range of other agreements, including those relating to the use of destructive weapons, and treaties on the transport and trafficking of both humans and firearms.

Harris to be Investigated in Guatemala and Nicaragua
The daily Spanish newspaper La Nacion continues to investigate Bruce Harris and the recent "sex" scandal that has resulted in the man being fired from his position as head of Casa-Alianza for the last 15 years.

Bruce Harris was fired last week by Casa-Alianza parent Covenant House following a charge from an 18 year old Honduran that Harris had purchased sexual favours from the young man.
Harris admitted to his "15-Minute Mistake", however, claims that he did not commit any crime as the young man was not a minor.

Honduran officials, however, are looking into the conduct of Harris and any illegal actions that may have come from the incident. The boy had been a resident at Casa Alianza in Honduras during 2003.

The La Nacion reports that other countries are now looking to the affairs of Harris. Guatemala and Nicaragua have also started investigations into Harris.

According to the newspaper, they spoke with the attorney the "Derechos Humanos de Guatemala", Sergio Morales, by telephone, who told the La Nacion that they suspect that there may be minors in the shelters that may have had relations with Harris.

Morales said that occurred in Honduras may not be crime, however, it provides reason to initiate a "deep" investigation in Guatemala.

Meanwhile, in Nicaragua, authorities have begun an inquiry of the Casa Aliana shelters in that country. Authorities are looking into the care and security of the minors sheltered there.

In Costa Rica, Casa Alianza does not have any shelters and thus Costa Rican authorities will not make any further inquiries. However, Rogelio Ramos, Minister of Public Security, added that is any complaints are received, his Ministry will act.

Casa Alianza in Costa Rica announced yesterday that Mexican, Manuel Fragoso, will replace Harris. The casa Alianza website is still unavailable.