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Costa Rica's
Ministerio del Ambiente, Energía y
Telecomunicaciones (MINAET) minister,
Roberto Dobles, resigned on Friday following
reports he granted mining concessions to
companies owned by relatives.
Costa Rica president, Oscar Arias, said he
met with Dobles and after hearing his
minister's version felt that nothing illegal
had been done, but felt that if Dobles
remained in his government it would lead to
the obstruction of key projects.
"The media says that he (Dobles) has
authorized concessions to family memebrs. He
denied it but resigned anyway", said Arias
after meeting with Dobles and accepting his
resignaton.
Dobles may still face legal problems if
evidence is confirmed of the accusation that
back Dobles authorized a government
concession to a company that listed his wife
as one of the directors.
The accusations came from the the Partido
Acción Ciudadana (PAC) and Frente Amplio
legislators, who earlier this week had
requested the resignation of the
vice-minister of the Ministerio de Obras
Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), Pedro Castro,
who wa also accused of influence peddling.
In the Castro case, the vice-minister made
it very clear that the concession had gone
to a company controlled by distance
relatives that he has no contact with, nor
do they give him any reports or information
on his 3% company holdings that was
inherited more than 20 years earlier by his
father. Castro has held firm his position
and did not resign.
Dobles was leading an ambitious
environmental agenda that included a project
to make Costa Rica carbon-neutral by 2021.
Dobles will be leaving his post on March 10. |
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