Manuel Ventura leaves Foreign Ministry to assume representation in the OAS

After one year on the job, Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel Ventura will leave the position to assume a role as a representative before the Organization of American States (OAS), the government announced Tuesday.

The presidency said in a statement that the change of functions of Ventura “is due to the wear and tear of the charge, which required multiple transfers.”

Ventura, a lawyer and former judge of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, assumed the position of Foreign Minister in January 2019, replacing Epsy Campbell, who is also vice president.

Campbell had resigned amid questions about appointments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the opposition considered inappropriate.

Ventura’s departure is in the middle of a controversy over a report about the negative work environment of the Costa Rican representation before the UN in Geneva.

Before the report was published in the press, Ventura asked the judicial police to investigate the leakage of this material, considered confidential.

Monserrat Solano, the current Costa Rican ambassador to the OAS, will be transferred to the Geneva embassy.

At the same time, Vice Chancellor Lorena Aguilar will leave office to assume a governmental position related to climate change and gender policies, the presidency said.

The statement adds that the president, Carlos Alvarado, will announce in the coming days who will assume the positions of chancellor and vice chancellor.