Calderón Continues To His Claim To
Innocence, Appeals Guilty Verdict
Former Costa Rican president, Rafael Ángel
Calderón Fournier, is not one to give up
easily, such as the case of his trial and
guilty verdict handed down by the Tribunal
de Juicio de Goicoechea in the Caja-Fischel
case.
Although the court found the former
president guilty after a lengthy trial and
ordered him to a prison sentence of five
years, Calderón continues to advocate his
innocence and yesterday challenged the
court's decision, as his right, before the
deadline of today.
Juan Marco Rivero, Calderón's lawyer, said
yesterday in a press conference that there
are sufficient elements in his filing that
would absolve his client.
The lawyer added that his findings are
contained in a 250 page document that was
presented to the Sala Tercera de la Corte
Suprema de Justicia who has the
responsibility of hearing the appeal or
challenge if you will, to the Tribunal de
Juicio de Goicoechea judge's decision of
October 5.
Calderón was found guilty of embezzlement
and sentenced him to five years prison.
Six of the other seven accused were also
found guilty and sentenced to serve between
two and five years each, only one being
found not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
(See
story).
Calderón has maintained, from the first days
the scandal, that his innocent of any wrong
doing, winning his conditional liberty after
being detained and held at the La Reforma
prison while the Fiscalia continued its
investigation in the case.
Calderón was also chosen as the 2010
presidential candidate for the PUSC party,
politicking right up to the day of the
verdit, when he decided to step down, not
for legal, but for moral reasons. Calderón
told the press that he could not morally ask
for the people's vote while his innoncence
is still in doubt.
The challenge by Calderón is that payments
he received were legitimate and that he
committed no crime or wrongdoing, in
particular against the Caja Costarricense de
Seguro Social (CCSS).
For their part, the CCSS feels that the
accused in the case should compensate the
country's social security system the us$76
million dollars loss it suffered by the
actions of the group.
The Tribunal de Goicoechea reject the claim
made during the trial, which may lead to the
CCSS to file a civil suit.
One thing is definitely clear, although the
trial against Calderón is over, the case is
far from being resolved and it will some
time before former president Calderón sets
foot in prison, if at all, notwithstanding
the guilty verdict. |
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