President Rodrigo Chaves held a press conference to address the arrests and accusations against members of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS). Chaves defended Marta Esquivel’s actions as executive president of the institution and strongly criticized her arrest the previous Monday in Pérez Zeledón.
“It’s very easy for an attorney general to have a woman who voluntarily presented herself to the OIJ offices in Pérez Zeledón handcuffed as soon as she’s informed of an arrest warrant,” he said.
Referring to a video posted on social media in which Minister Laura Fernández commented on the case, the President described the arrest as a “show.”
“How easy and cowardly it is to throw her into a police van and send her to San José, as if she were a gang member or a dangerous drug trafficker. I have no doubt that what the Prosecutor’s Office did was a spectacle meant to intimidate Doña Marta,” he added.
The Costa Rican head of state continued his criticism of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, particularly targeting Attorney General Carlo Díaz. “What’s next, Mr. Carlo? Are you going to raid my house? Raid the homes of my ministers?” Chaves asked.
Rodrigo Chaves insisted that Esquivel’s only crime was “being a brave woman who has repeatedly stood up to the corrupt.” He claimed that this was an attempt to “bully” the government.
He also accused the Prosecutor’s Office of acting out of “clumsy whim” under the influence of those controlling the prosecutors within the Judicial Branch. He specifically named Paul Rueda and Patricia Solano, who allegedly backed Carlo Díaz for the position of attorney general.
The President again challenged the Prosecutor to explain to the public why they acted so quickly when there are still unresolved cases. Orlando Aguirre, president of the Supreme Court of Justice, and Rodrigo Arias, head of the Legislative Assembly, called for calm and asked President Rodrigo Chaves to stop polarizing the country.
Both recalled the importance of the division of powers and how this is fundamental for a democracy such as Costa Rica’s, an example throughout the world. Both Esquivel and seven other individuals are being questioned for alleged crimes of influence peddling, breach of trust, and influence against public finances.
