The Santa Cruz Environmental Prosecutor’s Office has seized files on the Bahía Papagayo concession from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) and the Municipality of Carrillo, according to the newspaper La Nación.
The seizure is part of an ex officio criminal investigation into alleged illegal logging in forested areas within the Papagayo Tourist Pole. Prosecutors opened the case after an on-site inspection to assess possible environmental damage to protected land, following multiple complaints from environmental groups and activists on social media.
Alejandro Rojas, attorney for Bahía Papagayo, called the complaint “unfounded,” saying it stems from an anonymous tip and that the case has been pending for about seven months. He stressed that this is not a new criminal proceeding.
Environmental Concerns
Groups such as Salvemos Playa Panamá and online influencers have warned that the $925 million real estate development in Playa Panamá could destroy over 42 hectares of dry forest and mangroves, home to howler monkeys, sea turtles, anteaters, raccoons, jaguars and other species.
Bahía Papagayo, however, cites rulings from SETENA and SINAC stating that the land does not inlcude wetlands or mangroves and is not part of the State’s Natural Heritage. In an official statement, the company said it follows “a responsible development model that seeks to create real opportunities, respecting the environment and contributing to the well-being of Guanacaste.”
Influencers have criticized the granting of permits and questioned the project for its potential damage to the environment. Salvemos Playa Panama stated that the environmental feasibility granted is based on an error in saying that there is no forest in the area, when in fact there is.
“For several months now, we have been reporting that hundreds of trees have been marked in these forests, which belong to all of us. We believe that illegal logging may already have taken place there. Thinning the forest involves removing small trees, which is a practice that damages the environment,” said the organization Salvemos Playa Panama.
Legal Action
The controversy has also ignited a free speech debate. Bahía Papagayo requested the preventive seizure of assets and bank accounts belonging to content creator Juan Bautista Alfaro, known as Juamba Caminando, after he questioned the project’s environmental permits in a video.
The company described the measure as a legal tool to protect its image, stating it “does not seek to limit the right to free speech or silence legitimate environmental concerns” but warned that “freedom of expression cannot be confused with the right to defame.”
This case is one of several civil defamation lawsuits filed by Enjoy Hotels against four Costa Rican content creators critical of the megaproject. Critics argue such measures allow asset freezes without a final court ruling, creating what they see as a form of indirect silencing.
