No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveLibertarian lawmaker files criminal complaint against President Chinchilla over Peru trip

Libertarian lawmaker files criminal complaint against President Chinchilla over Peru trip

Libertarian Movement Party (ML) lawmaker Patricia Pérez on Wednesday filed a legal complaint before the Chief Prosecutor’s Office against President Laura Chinchilla for an alleged conflict of interest and for allegedly receiving gifts from the Canadian firm THX Energy.

The controversy began last weekend when the president made a previously unannounced trip to Peru to attend the wedding of Vice President Luis Liberman’s son.

Chinchilla and her entourage traveled in a private jet owned by THX Energy. The president was accompanied by Communications Minister Francisco Chacón and his wife, Anabel González, Costa Rica’s minister of foreign trade.

On Tuesday, Chacón said “there is no conflict of interest, because the Canadian firm’s only [commercial interest] in Costa Rica is a failed agricultural project for the production of palm oil,” the daily La Nación reported. “Chinchilla’s administration is not currently promoting gas exploration in the country,” he added. He also stated that the jet was provided via “collaboration” from the Canadian firm.

Pérez said it is her responsibility as a public official to report any wrongdoings, especially when they are “this clear and obvious.”

The government Public Ethics Office also announced on Tuesday that it would open its own investigation of ministers Chacón and González for the same reasons.

Chinchilla said her trip was of a private nature, as she initially planned only to attend the wedding on Saturday, but then decided to use the trip to briefly meet with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala on Monday to talk about trade, security and investment, and to seek Peru’s support for Costa Rica’s entry in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).

On Wednesday, during an official event to inaugurate new rail service to the colonial capital of Cartago, Chinchilla fielded only three questions from reporters, saying that all other expenses related to the trip, including food and lodging, were paid on her credit card, La Nación reported.

“This trip followed the same parameters as other trips,” Chinchilla said. “I can guarantee that everything was paid on my credit card in a manner that not one cent of Costa Ricans’ money was touched.” 

Trending Now

Guatemala Prisons Erupt in Violence With Guards and Workers Taken Hostage

Gang members rioted this Friday in two prisons in Guatemala and took several guards and civilian employees hostage, a week after uprisings in which...

FBI Recordings Reveal Costa Rica Ex-Minister Celso Gamboa’s Drug Ties

Costa Rican authorities continue to hold former security minister Celso Gamboa in custody as U.S. officials push for his extradition on drug charges. Recent...

Costa Rica Issues Green Weather Alert as Heavy Rains Expected

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) has declared a green weather alert across Costa Rica due to the expected increase in rainfall over the coming...

Panama Canal Warns of Traffic Decline as Economic Uncertainty Grows

The Panama Canal will take in about $400 million less in the next fiscal year due to a drop in ship traffic caused by...

The Most Clueless Gringo in Costa Rica: A Satirical Take on Expat Life

If part of your online day includes mindless scrolling through reels, you’ve probably seen the Dos Equis beer parody commercials. The original ads featured the...

Costa Rica’s Role in US Deportation Drama with Salvadoran Migrant

A Salvadoran man at the center of a heated US immigration battle could end up in Costa Rica if he accepts a guilty plea,...
L. Arias
L. Arias
Reporter | The Tico Times |
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