No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsCrimeSolís' 100-day report leads to criminal investigation of 4 government agencies

Solís’ 100-day report leads to criminal investigation of 4 government agencies

Casa Presidencial found itself among four government agencies under investigation by the Assistant Prosecutor for Probity, Transparency and Anti-Corruption (FAPTA) following President Luis Guillermo Solís’ denunciations in his 100-day report on the state of the government in late August.

The Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to The Tico Times by email that the FAPTA would open a criminal investigation in conjunction with the Judicial Investigation Police into allegations spanning Casa Presidencial, the National Power and Light Company (CNFL), the Education Ministry (MEP), and the Pacific Port Authority (INCOP). If charges are filed, they would be the first criminal prosecutions to follow the president’s campaign promise to root out corruption and mismanagement in public administration.

These are the four cases FAPTA decided to pursue after reviewing the 100-day assessment by the president’s office:

  • President Solís named Casa Presidencial in his jeremiad of government waste and possible crime on Aug. 28, lamenting that 117 vehicles registered to the president’s office had simply gone missing. “Frankly, I don’t believe, and neither should you all, that they have been stolen, but the truth is no one knows where they are,” Solís said during the presentation of the report.
  • INCOP is under investigation for spending ₡2.4 million — roughly $4,400 — every month to maintain a luxury beach home in the northwestern province of Guanacaste for the discretional use of the Port Authority’s president, Jorge Luis Loría. INCOP was also criticized for paying more than $110,000 annually for an office where only four people worked.
  • FAPTA also is looking into CNFL for paying some employees high salaries to lead departments that had no employees at a time when the public electricity company was running a ₡25 billion deficit – more than $46 million.
  • Under the leadership of former Education Minister Leonardo Garnier, MEP is under investigation for employing a group of consultants who allegedly charged so much overtime that they practically doubled their salaries. Garnier defended the hours billed in an interview with the daily La Nación.

Casa Presidencial and CNFL did not respond immediately to The Tico Times’ request for comment.

The president said that the country had lost $112 million to corruption during the last decade.

Trending Now

An Expat’s Life with a Rescue Dog in Costa Rica

For the past 15 months I have been the primary caretaker of a bona fide street dog, a barrio zaguate called Dorothy. My wife...

Costa Rica Drivers Face Yearlong Delays as Tárcoles Bridge Undergoes Repairs

Those who frequently use the South Coast Highway, near the Tárcoles river, will have to be more patient.  Repair works have started on the...

Costa Rica’s Sibö Chocolate Wins Bronze at Int’l Awards

Chocolate Sibö once again stood out at the International Chocolate Awards, the largest fine chocolate competition based in New York. The Costa Rican brand...

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,...

El Salvador Schools Enforce Military-Style Uniform Inspections

El Salvador's public schools will start enforcing daily inspections for students' uniforms and haircuts from August 20, as ordered by the new education minister,...

Earthquake Shakes Costa Rica’s Central Valley

An earthquake shook Costa Rica early Friday morning. The tremor occurred at 12:45 a.m. with a magnitude of 4.4. Its epicenter was located 1...
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