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Rodriguez To Continue House
Arrest; Court Denies Fiscalía
Request for Jail
Former president Miguel Angel
Rodríguez will continue under
house arrest for another four
months, dictated by judge
Lilliana Cordero, rejecting a
prosecution request that the
former president return to La
Reforma prison.
Tuesday was the deadline for the
Rodríguez' house arrest that
took him from prison after
spending five months behind bars
under "preventive detention".
The Fiscalía (prosecutor's
office) had requested another
six months in preventive
detention while they continue
their investigation into
corruption and illegal
enrichment.
Rafael Gairaud, Rodríguez'
lawyer, said the prosecutor used
"false statements" to the court
in requesting preventive
detention. He said his client
poses no flight risk and
reminded that it was he,
Rodríguez, who returned
voluntarily to Costa Rica after
stepping down as Secretary
General of the Organization of
American States (OAS), based in
Washington D.C., after only a
month on the job and where he
had immunity.
Rodríguez, according to Gairaud,
has been completely respectful
of the judicial process, though
his rights have been violated,
and is foremost interested in
ending this ordeal and looking
forward to being vindicated in
court.
Rodríguez, to maintain his
"limited" freedom had to post a
¢250 million colones
(us$520.000) bail, mortgaging
his property in Escazú.
The prosecutor's investigation
centres on how Rodriguez gained
from the Alcatel contract that
installed 400.000 GSM cellular
lines in Costa Rica and his
receiving more than us$1 million
dollars from the Government of
Taiwan.
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