Pacheco's Chief Protocol Officer Resigns!
Following reports in the media of irregularities surrounding President Abel Pacheco's trip to Sevilla, Spain, Chief of Protocol at Casa Presidencial, Jorge Arce, resigned his post yesterday.

Last year, on two separate occasions, Arce accompanied President Pacheco, along with former Tourism Minister Rubén Pacheco to Sevilla.

It was on the first trip that the group met Spanish businessman Bernardo Martín Moreno who was appointed Honourary Consul for Costa Rica in Sevilla. And it was this meeting with Moreno that make the connection to a tourism project in Papagayo between the former Tourism Minister and Martin, resulting in Martin's investment in the project and the formation of a join investment company, where former minister Pacheco was named president.

Arce also accompanied the President on the second trip to Sevilla in December last year, this time, the purpose was to introduce Pacheco's new book "Poemas y cuentos" which as it turns out was published free of charge by Martin's foundation, the Martín Robles foundation.

Charges have been made by media against President Pacheco for irregularities surrounding both trips which were, according to an admission by president Pacheco, private trips, though the state picked up some of the travel costs and irregularities between the appointment of Martín as Consul, his involvement in a tourism project that requires the granting of a government concession and the free publication of the president's book.

Making matters  worse is the discovery that Jorge Arce, maintained a professional connection to Bernardo Martín Moreno, acting as legal counsel for the Spanish businessman.

Arce insists that he provided  no services with respect to the Papagayo project and the grant of the concession,

Though the protocol chief assured the media that there is no conflict of interest, amid the allegations of wrongdoing, he decided to resign his post.