Costa Rican government: There is no $8 million from China

Foreign Minister Enrique Castillo said Wednesday that an $8 million donation from the Chinese government was actually part of a Chinese aid package to be used to build a National Police Academy.

Said Castillo of the $8 million donation the Costa Rican government announced last week: “It was a miscommunication on the part of Chinese authorities.” Chinese officials were forced to clarify the misunderstanding “when aid requests were sent by people affected by the Nicoya earthquake and living in coastal areas,” he said.

Presidency Minister Carlos Ricardo Benavides told Radio Reloj that he “prefered not to call it a miscommunication,” but he also “wasn’t fully aware of the details.”

President Laura Chinchilla said on Aug. 29 the money donated by China “would be invested in technology or education.” Castillo said on Wednesday the money must be used entirely for the Police Academy.