Rodríguez
Declines To
Testify
The trial of
former president
Miguel Angel
Rodríguez and
eight others
continues in San
José. While last
Friday the
defence scored a
major point when
the Tribunal
(court) rejected
the prosecutions
attempts to
enter banking
evidence from
Panama, the
testimony today
of Pablo Cob,
former president
of ICE, may take
another turn in
the case.
The Ministerio
Público
anmounced on
Monday that the
former ICE
president will
be the first
witness in the
ICE-Alcatel
case.
Cob is expected
to give
testimony on
ICE's process of
transition from
the TDMA to GSM
technology.
Guido Sibaja,
Cob's assistant,
is also expected
to give
testimony.
On Monday,
Rodríguez
declined to
testify before
the Tribunal,
arguing that he
is still not
clear on the
terms given to
his former
friend, José
Antonio Lobo,
for testimony
against the
accused.
In addition, all
the other
accused declined
to testify.
Rodríguez and
the others are
accused of
corruption,
receiving money
from the French
telecom Alcatel
for being
awarded the
contract to
install 400.000
GSM lines in
2000.
Rodríguez was
president of
Costa Rica at
the time, while
Lobo was member
of ICE's board
of directors and
the person who
was paid by
Alcatel and
later
distributed "the
prize" among the
accused.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
