Tico Worker Owner Of The Aircraft Used By
Argentine Transport Minister?
The Argentine daily La Nación reports that
the Costa Rican firm, Pegagus Equity
Investment, is the registered owner the jet,
used by the now former transportation
secretary, Ricardo Jaime and sometimes by
that country's president and the centre of
the latest scandal in that country.
The jet is valued at more than us$4.6
million dollars and after four weeks of
investigation, the La Nación de Buenos
Aires, reports that it has found that the
one of the directors of Pegasus is a Costa
Rican named Edgar Antonio Rosales Rodríguez,
who is 40 years old, married and lives in
San Sebastián, one of the most populated and
humble barrios of San José.
The investigation concludes that Rosales is
named as director in 61 corporations that
includes Pegasus.
However, the strange part is that Rosales
works for Consorcio Esquivel since 2002 and
earns a salary of ¢240.000 colones (us$410)
a month and lives in a house 139 square
metres (1.500 square feet) and is paying of
a mortgage until 2016.
Rosales refused to talk to reporters,
directing any inquiries to his boss, Ignacio
Esquivel, president of the Consorcio
Esquivel and named "resident agent" for
Pegasus.
Working with Rosales at Consorcio Esquivel
is Roberto Quintana Chaves, a lawyer well
known in Argentina and who was named
president of Pegasus in December 2008 when
the company purchased the Lear Jet A 31,
with the registration number N786YA.
Quintana resigned as president in may of
this year, four days before the La Nacion
printed the first article on the mysterious
circumstances surrounding the plane used by
the transportation minister, who is being
investigated for "enriquecimiento ilícito"
(Illicit enrichment).
In Costa Rica, Quintana is a "estudiante de
Derecho" (law student) and at 31 years of
age is named as a director in 81
corporations, all created between 2006 and
2009.
Quintana also referred questions to Don
Ignacio.
The La Nacion in Argentina explains the
story of Ignacio Esquivel Seevers, who
studied law in Georgetown University in
Washington, D.C., and who, along with his
father, Vinicio Esquivel Goicoechea, ran
into financial problems in Costa Rica and
was investigated by the Banco Central de
Costa RZica for the unreported donation of
39 cheques to the presidential campaign of
Able Pacheco (2002-2006).
Esquivel Seevers was also investigated by
the Superintendencia General de Entidades
Financieras (Sugef), but denied any ties
with Vinir Corporation, saying that company
belonged to his father and had no knowledge
of the day to day activities.
Many foreigners came into contact with Vinir,
who for years operated a cheque cashing
operation - Casa de Cambio Vinir.
Vinicio Esquivel Goicoechea ran into more
problems and was alleged to be moving money
for the Cartel del Norte del Valle, in
Colombia, bringing in briefcases full of
money to Costa Rica from Colombia, allegedly
moving up to us$120 million dollars for a
number of gaming companies.
Esquivel has kept a low profile since 2003.
The Lear Jet used by the now former minister
of transportation of Argentina and whose
owner of record is a Costa Rican worker. |
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