Investigators Raid
Offices of the National Emergency Commission
Four Vie For
PAC Party Leadership
Tránsito On Full Alert
For Semana Santa
Vacation Deals Abound For Easter Holidays
Beer With
Ginseng
Chaparrón (Surprise
Downpour) In Full Summer!
ICE Order To
Reimburse Customers Ratified
Investigators Raid
Offices of the National Emergency Commission
The Comision Nacional de Emergencias (CNE) -
national emergency commission - is used to
received many visitors during the day,
looking for help with their problems.
However, yesterday the CNE received another
kind of visitor, a group of armed police and
investigators, who raided the CNE
headquarters, looking for clues to
corruption and mishandling of public funds.
The CNE and more particularly, its
president, Daniel Gallardo, is being accused
of favouring friends and acquaintances with
lucrative contracts.
The investigation follows allegations by
legislative members of the Partido Accion
Cuidadana (PAC) and other groups, who are
following up on a report by the Contraloria
General de la Republica (Comptroller's
office) of last October.
Gallardo said he welcomed the investigation,
the raid on the central offices of the CNE
and the confiscation of materials. The CNE
president said that the officials of the
ministerio Publico (the investigators) will
be the ones to clear his name, as there has
been no wrongdoing on his part or anyone at
the CNE.
Gallardo, who earlier this month announced
his resignation from the CNE effective on
April 13, who says officialy is resigning
due to personal and health reasons, is being
accused of awarding almost ˘4 billion
colones of contracts to two businessmen
closely associated with him prior to his
appointment to the CNE presidency.
The accusations are that the two businessmen
knew Gallardo before presiding over the CNE
and that the amount of the contracts awarded
increased by more than 10 times after the
Gallardo appointment.
The CNE and Gallardo have come under heavy
criticism over the handling or mishandling
of the relief efforts of the January 8
earthquake in Cinchona, where as many as 30
people died and thousands were left
homeless. Hundreds still today are in
shelters and makeshift homes waiting relief
from the CNE, who say they are being ignored
by the commission.
The PAC legislators sent a letter to Costa
Rican president, Oscar Arias, on Tuesday to
make him aware of the deplorable living
conditions that a large number of earthquake
victims still have to endure.
|
|
|
|
|
