Three Still in Prison in "Super Scandals"
Only three people are still in preventive
detention - prison - resulting from the "Super Scandals" that rocked the
nation last year.
In what could be called the worst political crisis in Costa Rica in the
last 50 years, the Fischel-Caja and ICE-Alcatel scandals made the
headlines in the latter part of last year, when more than a dozen were
implicated in either of both scandals and saw the imprisonment of two
former president and the call for a third to return to Costa Rica.
Former presidents Rafael Angel Calderon (1990-1994) and Miguel Angel
Rodríguez (1998-2002) were both sent to La Reforma prison for preventive
detention and the released under house arrest, for corruption, while
former president José María Figueres Olsen (1994-1998) is still refusing
to return to Costa Rica after being asked by a Legislative Commission to
answer their questions.
The ICE-Aclatel scandal involved the
French communications firm
Alcatel, which transferred money
to different people and firms in
Costa Rica following it being
awarded the multi million dollar GSM cellular service contract.
Alcatel was the winner in a bid
to install 400.000 GSM cellular
lines in the country in a
contract that was worth about
us$149.000.000 dollars, in
addition to another contract for
telephone services worth another
us$109.000.000 dollars.
The Fischel-Caja scandal involves a multi-million
"commissions" on the credit loan
from the government of Finland, that was paid to
the Corporación Fischel for the
purchase of medical supplies for
the Costa Rican Social Security
Institution (CCSS). - commonly
known as the Caja.
So where are they all now?
In prison:
Édgar Valverde, former president of Alcatel
Costa Rica |
Gerardo Bolaños, former director of the
CCSS,
|
Rodrigo Méndez, former engineer at ICE
Under House Arrest: |
Rafael Ángel Calderón, former president of
Costa Rica |
Miguel Angel Rodríguez, former
president of Costa Rica |
José Antonio Lobo, former ICE director
|
Marvin Barrantes, former manager of the
Corporación Fischel
|
At Liberty:
Eliseo Vargas, former president of the CCSS |
Wálter Reiche, president of the Corporación
Fischel
|
Juan Carlos Sánchez, former manager at the
CCSS |
Rándall Vargas, lawyer for the Corporación
Fischel
|
Conditional Liberty*:
|
Hernán Bravo, former director of ICE
Alfonso Guardia, former director of the Sultana company in Panamá,
Leonel Barrios, Alcatel advisor
Luis Adrián Quirós, lawyer at Servicios Notariales Q.C.,
*Those under conditional liberty posted bail, have restricitons on
leaving Costa Rica and must visit the Fiscalía every 15 days to sign
in. |
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