Calderón and Others To
Go To Trial in
CCSS-Fischel Case
Former Costa Rican
president, Rafael Ángel
Calderón, and seven
others will stand trial
for their role in the
CCSS-Fischel case, as
per the order of
criminal court judge,
Mercedes Muñoz Campos.
The head of the press
for the Poder Judicial,
Fabián Barrantes,
confirmed the judge's
order yesterday, adding
that the file can now be
sent to the Tribunal
Penal to set a trial
date.
The judge's decision is
contained in a 60 page
written statement
rejecting all the
filings of the defence
lawyers made since last
August 13 when the
preliminary hearings
began.
The statement says that
judge Muñoz accepts all
the allegations and
evidence presented by
the Minsterio Público
which forms the basis of
the accusations against
Calderón and the others,
which include former
Corporación Fischel
president, Walter Reiche;
the former president of
the CCSS, Eliseo Vargas;
the former CCSS
director, Gerardo
Bolaños; former CCSS
manager for
modernization, Juan
Carlos Sánchez; and
former Fischel
executives, Marvin
Barrantes and Olman
Valverde.
The eight are accused of
swindling the Caja
Costarricense de Seguro
Social (CCSS) in the
purchase of equipment
totallin us$39.5 million
dollars from Medko
Medical from a loan from
the government of
Finland and the group
was to have received a
multi million dollar
commission on the deal.
The case of corruption
against the group came
to light in April 2004
when the then president
of the CCSS, Eliseo
Vargas, was living in a
luxurious home in Valle
del Sol, Santa Ana, paid
for by the Corporación
Fischel.
The investigation also
revealed that when
Vargas was a legislative
deputy prior to his
appointment to the CCSS,
he was instrumental in
getting approved in only
three days a law what
would allow the CCSS to
purchase medical
equipment using a
government of Finland
credit of us$32 million
dollars.
In addition, the
investigation revealed
that Walter Reiche,
while president of
Corporación Fischel,
purchased the Santa Ana
home for Vargas and was
president of Medko
Medical, who sold the
equipment to the CCSS.
The Fiscalía
(prosecutor's office)
during the investigation
also found that funds
from the deal were
deposited in accounts in
Costa Rica and Panama
held by Calderón and
Gerard Bolaños.
Former president
Calderón has maintained
his innocence from the
early days of the
accusation, including
while spending time in a
jail cell in La Reforma
while under preventive
detention, which was
later changed to house
arrest and then on
conditional release
while the investigation
continued.
Calderón claims
political persecution. |
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