Vice President Embarrassed
Costa Rica's second vice-president and minister for planning, Kevin Casa, says he is consternated about his older brother's ties to drug trafficker George Nayor and that is the reason he decided to go public to explain his position before the news media hounded him.

Ciro casas, a lawyer and older brother to the VP, is allegedly tied to Nayor who is currently in the custody of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency for drug trafficking and tied to an assassination plot of the president of El Salvador, Antonio Saca.

The VP told the press earlier this week that he met Nayor once, briefly at his brother's birthday party. The older Casas told the press yesterday that Nayor  "is not a friend", just someone he met and that there are no business ties with Nayor and especially holding some us$15 million dollars for the drug kingpin.

Vice-president Casas told the press yesterday that it is very embarrassing that his family name is being mentioned in this "grave situation" that alleges money laundering, drug trafficking and assassination plots.

To distance himself from the accusations, VP Casas came out public before the news of his brother's involvement and personally called the Salvadorian president to apologize for any possible connection to a member of his family.

Ciro Casas, however, is taking a different stand. He is coming out strong denying any ties or business dealing with Nayor and said he didn't understand why his younger brother, the VP, would say the Nayor and him were friends.

VP Casas has taken steps to distance himself from his brother's alleged ties to Nayor and any investigation into the matter, by sending a letter to the Fiscal general de la República, Francisco Dall’Annese, telling of his brother's pending arrival to Costa Rica from Colombia. Casas said that the notification was not an act of an "informer", but, rather a "courtesy".

"I gave the fiscal notice to tell him that my brother had nine days missing this week, and notified him that he now was in Costa Rica, which is reasonable under the circumstances", said Kevin Casas.

However, his attempt to distance himself from his brother's situation, VP Casas also appeared before the Legislative Assembly to give his version of the events and that he had no ties to Nayor.

"I want to make clear that I have received no pressure from anyone, less president Oscar Arias, to explain anything. I feel it is my duty to clear the information that is circulating and related to me. I appeared before the Assembly because I knew that day that the subject of my brother would be brought up and didn't want that to happen without being there", said Kevin Casas.

On the subject of calling the Salvadorian president, VP Casas said that, again, it was an act of courtesy and wanted to make clear to President Saca that the Costa Rican government and his family had no relation to what was being presented in the media.

Vice-president Casas added that he has not called or spoken to his brother since he returned to Costa Rican and does not plan to do until the situation cools down. Apparently, the information the VP gave the press earlier in the week bothered the family and he plans on keeping a distance for the time being.