The Chaves administration strongly criticized the operation that led to the detention of Marta Esquivel, executive president of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), and other officials.
“We see this as a clear threat from the Prosecutor’s Office to the Government. It is very dangerous. We must stop the Prosecutor’s Office from using its authority to paralyze the Government through illegitimate harassment. We expect the people to be alert and vigilant because we are facing an unprecedented threat in the history of our country,” said Laura Fernández, Minister of the Presidency.
Minister Fernández released a video on social media addressing the issue, notably without President Rodrigo Chaves.
Fernández called the Public Prosecutor’s investigation into the concession contracts of EBAIS to private entities, involving significant overpricing, an “abuse of power” and a “show,” deeming it “absurd.”
Minister Fernández emphasized that the contracts “are not even finalized,” and no money has been transferred. She also noted that the initial complaint “is barely two months old,” accusing the judicial authorities of acting prematurely.
She further questioned why the Prosecutor’s Office moved “so quickly, relying on unnecessary sensationalism,” when it has not shown the same urgency in other cases. She mentioned complaints filed by the current administration about older issues and ongoing matters.
Former President Miguel Ángel Rodríguez also criticized the “theatricality” and “abusive cruelty” displayed by the Attorney General’s Office in launching its investigations.
“Citizens have become accustomed, from cases such as the investigations into the tragic murders of Ivannia Mora and Parmenio Medina, and the Caja-Fischel and Alcatel-ICE scandals, to the theatricality and abusive cruelty of constitutional rights with which the Attorney General’s Office presents initial accusations to the public,” he said.
The former president stressed that greater restraint should guide such actions and that the constitutional rights of all Costa Ricans must be respected.
“I know this firsthand, as the country witnessed the unconstitutional and grotesque spectacle surrounding my voluntary and announced return. That is why I consider the manner in which the CCSS officials were arrested today to be highly inappropriate,” the ex-President stated.
