Fiscal General Warns of
Organized Crime In The
Country
The Fiscal General
(Chief Prosecutor),
Francisco Dall’Anese,
appearing before the
Legislative Assembly
yesterday warned of the
dangers the country is
facing becaue of the
lack of legislation to
fight terrorism.
Dall’Anese told the
Comisión Especial de
Seguridad (special
legislative commission
on security) the lack of
laws allows organized
criminal - "mafias" - to
launder capital to
finance international
terrorism.
The Fiscal stressed that
Costa Rican has been
converted into a
"paradise" for
international criminal
organizations and is
also placing at risk
Costa Rica's
participation in the
Egmont group.
Dall’Anese stressed that
if the country does not
have the laws approved
by May, it cannot be
ratified as a member of
the group.
The Egmont Group of
Financial Intelligence
Units is an informal
international gathering
of financial
intelligence units (FIUs).
Some 101 countries have
created FIUs, which are
national centers to
collect information on
suspicious or unusual
financial activity from
the financial industry
and other entities or
professions required to
report transactions
suspicious of being
money laundering or
terrorism financing.
The Comisión Especial de
Seguridad who heard
Dall’Anese is analyzing
legislation presented by
Poder Ejecutivo called
Ley de Fortalecimiento
Integral para la
Seguridad Ciudadana.
The law would give
banking authorities the
tools to determine the
source of money
deposited in local
banks.
The Fiscal told the
commission that it is
difficult to complete
the task when the
country has stock
exchanges, as well as a
system of sale and
purchase of properties,
permitting the hiding of
sources of funding.
"The Sate must take
ownership or freeze
funds when it is
justified", said
Dall’Anese, referring to
situations where the
source of the funds is
unclear.
The Fiscal commented to
the legislative
commission the suspicion
of the presence of
members of the Colombian
rebel group, the Fuerzas
Armadas Revolucionarias
de Colombia (FARC), who
have attempted to open
financial institutions
in the country.
The Fiscal also
suggested to the
commission that the
State should use the
confiscated funds to
fight crime and that a
greater police presence
in the streets will
revert the sense of
insecurity that has
gripped most Costa
Ricans, however, the
subject of the security
of the citizens is
strictly a political
matter.
Dall’Anese reminded the
members of the
legislative commission
that in the past the
combined work of the
Organismo de
Investigación Policial (OIJ),
tje Dirección de
Inteligencia y Seguridad
(DIS) and the Fuerza
Pública has converted
the Limón the province
with highest crime rate
to the lowest.
The Fiscal also proposed
to the legislative
commission that the
Fiscalía be converted
into a central
authority. Currently,
the DIS is the
intelligence unit and
that impedes the
Fiscalía from access to
Interpol's information.
Dall’Anese also
considers it essential
of the creation of a
juvenile criminal
archive. |
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