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  Features

  InsideCostaRica

Sunday, November 10, 2002  · Index

Good morning world!

The “TIME” Has changed; all over the states people have had to change the settings on the watches and clocks to reflect the removal of “daylight-saving-time” for another year. Here is Costa Rica the time change does not happen, BUT I recon today will be a very enlightening period of the time in the existence of some of our most affluent citizens/residents/visitors here in San Jose.

We have seen some rather anxious and seemingly out of place personalities walking around the Avenida Central in this past week. Some of them are acting like the world has suddenly dealt them a bad hand just when most of the money on the table is theirs. They might be able to bluff their way to a successful recovery at some other time but it is seriously doubtful in this writers view. I think I’m within the realm of safety saying that the new “proprietors” of the “enterprise” have reconnoitered the situation and the players very well and basically has them beat at their own game this time.

Now, the rules of the game have been turned around somewhat. The “game” has been halted for a period of reconnoitering by the “establishment” and all the funds on the table have been collected/confiscated. In order for the players to recover their portion of the pot they must prove how much money they had on the table, and prove it was legitimate, lawful and taxable!  If they cannot, in my opinion, they might better forget it and move in another direction rather quickly!

Today the players In fact are getting together in a large bitching session to survey the possibilities of even coming out of the game with their shirts still on.

The “Brothers” have for some 20 years provided a investment opportunity to “friends” in which a deposit of $10,000.00 would bring the “friend” that loaned them the funds between 2.8 and 3% Interest Per Month!

The moneys deposited in the accounts of the “loan business” have been frozen/confiscated by the authorities while they investigate the legality and the source of the money circulated by the loan operation. To give you an idea of the gravity of this action, the accounting thus far is as such;

6,289 “friends” have deposited at least an investment of $10,000 each.
the actual accounting shows loans of $50,000 to $120,000 on average.

This gives you over 6 million dollars at minimum involved and more than likely the total could reach the reported 689 million in hard cold cash deposited in many banks including some in New Orleans and surrounding areas.

The moneys have been collected and are being held at this time by the authorities that are investigating the possibilities of drug money laundering operations involved in the “friends” of the Brothers. No one is saying the Brothers are involved in that portion of investment, just that some of the drug people found the operation a good source of cleaning up their illicit funds. The mere fact that drug money was there constitutes a condition where all funds are confiscated.

The “Tico Times” (www.ticotimes.net) here in San Jose printed an article this Friday spelling out some interesting facts of the case.

The gist of the outcome for the investor to recover his funds is as follows:

Send a letter to the prosecutor’s office , addressed to:

Fiscalia Adjunta de Narcotrafico del Ministerio Publico, case # 02-8579-042-PE
Explain where the money came from and you must submit documents to

Back up your claim.

I doubt that most people will want to provide the information or possess the internal fortitude needed to face the internal revenue people for the inevitable repercussions of such an act of stupidity if the funds were “extra cash.

If the money used was accounted for and taxes paid on the interest received, the letters should be written and documented as early as possible in order to have a chance to get it back.

I wonder if, based on how governments use confiscated funds, anyone will get anything back seeing that Costa Rica’s deficit is now in the higher millions of dollars. The “easy money” might just clear the deficit!

Ouch, That’s a nasty thought!

Good Luck!

Bari

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