Costa Rican ambassador to the United Nations resigns

Chrissie Long May 28, 2010

Costa Rica’s ambassador to the United Nations, Bruno Stagno, resigned on Wednesday after he was accused of a conflict of interest by the country’s Foreign Ministry.

Stagno had named himself ambassador to the United Nations days before he left his former post as foreign minister in the government of Oscar Arias. His appointment wasn’t questioned at the time, but was later called a “grave error” in a report issued by the ministry, because he had signed off on his own appointment.

“Had he refrained from signing it,” the report read, “the situation could have been remedied.”

Stagno had also named the Costa Rican ambassador to the UN, Jorge Urbina, to a nonexistent post as ambassador to international organizations in the Netherlands.

President Laura Chinchilla accepted Stagno’s resignation, but regretted the loss for Costa Rica’s foreign service. She said he was one of the nation’s most experienced diplomats, according to a statement.

Stagno had occupied the UN post once before when he served in New York between 2002 and 2005.