Former President
Rodríguez Regains His
Freedom
Former Costa Rican
president, Miguel Ángel
Rodríguez, is now free
to move about without
any restrictions of any
kind following the
ratification of the
cancelling of
"preventive measures"
against the former
president, placed
against him four years
for his alleged role in
the ICE-Alcatel scandal.
The lifting of the "medidas
cautelares" was ordered
by judge Badilla Chang
on August 1, although
the Fiscalia (proseuctors
office) attempted to
have them continued.
Rodríguez is alleged to
have taken a bribe in
the awarding of the fist
GSM cellular contract by
the state telecom ICE to
the French telecom,
Alcatel.
Rodríguez returned to
Costa Rica voluntarily
after stepping down as
head of the Organization
of American States (OAS)
on October 15, 2004, and
was promptly detained
and hauled off to jail
on his arrival.
The former president has
held firm on his
innocence and has spoken
out publicly criticizing
the judicial system and
the violation of his
rights.
Rafael Gairaud,
Rodríguez's lawyer, said
yesterday that the
message is clear, the
Fiscalia has done all it
can, using all "legal
subterfuge" to prove
something that was not
there and the "blind
persecution" by
prosecutors.
The lawyer added that
the message of the judge
is clear that the former
president does need to
suffer from any type of
preventive measures that
limit his freedom.
Although the former
president was arrested,
spent time in jail, then
under house arrest,
report to authorities on
a regular basis and not
be able to leave the
country during the last
four years, he was never
formally charged with
anything. |
