President Pacheco Faces New Investigation
A letter send by the Ministerio Público to the Legislative Assembly confirms a criminal investigation begun by the Fiscalía General de la Republica (prosecutor's office) against President Abel Pacheco.

The letter dated June 7, 2005, and signed by temporary Fiscal General, Jorge Segura Román, is asking legislative deputies of the Control de Ingreso y Gasto Público for a copy of the report the President sent them surrounding the details of his trip to the luxury resort in Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic.

The information provided by the Legislature to the Fiscalía will be studied by the prosecutors to determine the next course of action, if required.

President Pacheco, while still incapacitated and under medical orders to rest after suffering high blood pressure and checking into hospital on Monday, said through the Casa Presidencial press office, that he is open to any type of investigation and will make available to the prosecutor any and all documents they require.

Pacheco (71) became the centre of controversy over the past couple of weeks after allegations that he received unreported gifts on his travel abroad, used free airline passes issued by TACA airlines for personal travel, tickets that are given to the government  by the airline and the appointment of the Honourary Consul for Sevilla, Spain, Bernardo Martín.

Martín later became a partner in a land development project headed by Pacheco's former Minister of Tourims, Rubén Pacheco and published presidnet Pacheco's book of poems for free.

Since then, President Pacheco has returned the lifetime membership for he and his wife to the luxury resort in the Dominican Republic and has offered to pay for the airline tickets that brought him to Miami and back from San José.

On national radio and television last week, Pacheco defended his actions, saying that people who he is and what he is about and has a lifetime record to prove that his a man beyond reproach. Pacheco claims that this is all part of a media persecution that has it in for him.

It was he, President Pacheco, that signed the law that prohibits "ENRIQUECIMIENTO ILÍCITO"  illegal enrichment that the Fiscalía is using to investigate the President.