This is in regard to the Anderson’s Ark fiasco. It seems as if a trusted employee, Javier García, allegedly took the money from investors. An attorney, Victor Hugo Mora, was supposed to be handling the case. All at once there is silence. Have you done any follow-ups?
Barbara Zimmerman
Hickory, North Carolina, USA
The Tico Times has not covered the story since Keith Anderson, who operated Anderson’s Ark, was extradited back the United States in 2002 to face trial on charges including tax evasion (TT, Dec. 6, 2002).
After receiving your query, we spoke with attorney Victor Hugo Mora, who said that while Anderson has already been found guilty and sentenced in the United States, legal proceedings on behalf of the investors who gave their money to Anderson continue in Costa Rica.
Mora said he represents a group of approximately 100 investors who want to know what happened to an estimated $100 million given to Anderson’s Ark. The lawyer said he has presented a criminal complaint against “an organization presumably led by Javier García Penón, associates and family members.”
The complaint goes along with charges of money laundering and fraud presented by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office last year, Mora said. However, criminal judge Miguel Lizano decided in June that there isn’t enough evidence to go to court, and closed the money laundering case along with the complaint against García.
“The case was closed because no crime was committed,” García’s lawyer, Marcela Rodríguez, told The Tico Times. Mora said he has filed an appeal to reopen the case, and the Superior Criminal Court has yet to decide on the matter.
