No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveRuling party leaders accused of corruption

Ruling party leaders accused of corruption

Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal asked prosecutors to investigate 90 leaders of President Laura Chinchilla’s party for fraud against the state during the last election campaign, media reported last Friday.

The daily La Nación said National Liberation Party officials included lawmakers, presidential advisers and senior party leaders.

According to a court investigation revealed by the daily, the group charged the state some $800,000 for rental car contracts that never existed during Chinchilla’s 2010 presidential campaign.

In some cases, funds were used to finance other campaign activities, while in other cases, it was unclear what was purchased  with the money, the report said.

Lawmaker Óscar Alfaro, who led Chinchilla’s campaign in the capital, allegedly took about $26,000 intended for contracts and transferred the funds to a personal bank account.

Among those named in the report were Jorge Bolaños, Costa Rica’s representative at the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, the campaign’s national treasurer, Alex Sibaja, and Chinchilla adviser Mario Álvarez.

Chinchilla, who marks the end of her second year in office next week, has faced a series of recent corruption scandals, but so far she has not been personally involved.

Over the past month, two of her closest collaborators – former Finance Minister Fernando Herrero and his wife and former presidential adviser Flor Isabel Rodríguez – resigned their posts after being accused of underreporting taxes and violating procurement laws.

Trending Now

Why I Choose Real Life in Costa Rica Over the AI Hype

When it comes to AI, call me OG. Old school. I sometimes wish I could go back to a time before it existed. Artificial...

Keylor Navas Joins Pumas After Controversial Exit from Newell’s

Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas is officially the newest player for Pumas UNAM, but his move from Argentina’s Newell’s Old Boys has been anything...

Costa Rica’s PPSO Backs Laura Fernández to Continue Rodrigo Chaves’s Agenda

Former Minister of Economy Francisco Gamboa and attorney Douglas Soto will join Laura Fernández for the 2026 elections, representing the Sovereign People’s Party (PPSO),...

Panama Farmer Receives Land Title After 60-Year Wait at Age 109

A 109-year-old Panamanian farmer has received the land title for the property where he lives and works—six decades after first requesting it from the...

Can Costa Rica’s Blue Zone Preserve Its Longevity Legacy?

The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica is recognized worldwide as one of the five blue zones, where people live beyond the age of 90...

Venezuelan Migrants Describe Hellish Stay in El Salvador Jail

Mervin Yamarte left Venezuela with his younger brother, hoping for a better life. But after a perilous jungle march, US detention, and long months in...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica