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COSTA RICA NEWS
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Monday 15 November 2010 |
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Admiring
Costa
Rica's
Corruption
By John Holtz*
If there
is one
thing
admirable
about
Costa
Rica´s
national
epidemic
of
corruption
it is
that an
open and
robust
media
has
embraced
the
courage
to make
it all
public,
down to
every
last
detail.
Not many
countries
do that
in this
world.
However,
the
residual
is that
the
international
image of
corruption
and
crime
appear
far more
prevalent
than is
the
reality.
On the
other
hand, an
open
press is
essential
as well
as
reader
opinions
since
both
have a
long
tradition
of value
in this
country.
Recently
the
leading
Spanish
language
newspaper,
La
Nación´s
editorial
was
titled
(Translated)
“Reestablishing
Public
Confidence”
and it
was well
written
but very
much
wishful
thinking,
a naïve
fairy
tale at
best.
Costa
Rica,
have we
become
or have
we
always
been but
never
wanted
to admit
it,
corrupt
from top
to
bottom?
Even the
Catholic
Church
is
coming
under
fire for
illegal
banking
practices
and
financing.
Also on
the top
two or
three
rungs of
the
ladder
are
three
former
presidents
and the
most
troubling
part to
think
about
are all
those
other
officials
who
stole
what we
don´t
know
about.
One
ex-president
convicted
but
walking
around
on
appeal
and
might
very
well go
free on
a
technicality,
one now
on trial
that has
been
delayed
over and
over
again
which
looks
ominous
for a
conviction,
and one
in self
imposed
exile
living
the good
life in
Switzerland.
And a
month
ago we
had a
new
revelation
from a
guilty
plea
criminal
convicted
in
England
who said
under
oath
that his
reinsurance
company
paid $2
million
in
bribes
to
influential
people
inside
the
Costa
Rican
national
insurance
company
(INS)
plus our
beloved
telephone
company,
ICE, to
get
their
business.
Also in
October
long
time and
seemingly
trusted
judge,
Mauel
Sanabria
got 16
years
behind
bars for
letting
walk
free,
three
Colombians
caught
with 923
kilos of
cocaine.
Not only
did the
three
not
check in
as
ordered
(Sure!)
they
have
left the
country
altogether.
The new
Attorney
General,
Jorge
Chevarria
in an
open
interview
admitted
that 33%
of all
prosecutors
have
failed
to meet
the
minimum
requisites
of a
prosecutor.
Despite
tough
talk,
the
interview
was more
based on
the
lament
that
innocent
people
are
incarcerated
rather
than
guilty
people
are
free,
which
seems to
me far
more
critical.
So, what
is left?
Bribes
to
acquire
medicines
and
equipment
for our
national
health
services
(CCSS),
bribes
for
telephone
connections,
misappropriation
of funds
by
municipal
mayors
who
authorized
permits
for
construction
and more
recently
seven
driver
test
examiners
were
arrested
for
taking
bribes
up to
$170
each
from an
estimated
400
want-to-be
truck/bus
drivers
to
assure
passage
of the
required
test.
And let
us not
ignore
the
judge,
his
assistant
and the
traffic
cop who
have
been
ripping
off $200
or more
to car
owners
who had
their
vehicles
impounded.
Some of
the very
people
who are
paid to
protect
this
country
are
criminals
themselves
such as
the
“crooked
cop of
the
week”
who got
a cool
$2,000
every
time he
radioed
ahead to
the drug
traffickers
where
they
might be
stopped
and
searched.
It seems
that
identifying
corruption
has been
well
done by
the
media.
What is
illusive
are
convictions
as a
result
of an
overly
active,
hyper
yet
anemic
judicial
system
that
very
much
favors
the
rights
of the
accused
rather
than the
victims
of
crime.
In
short,
“Do the
crime
and
probably
not the
time.”
Ergo,
the
lower
rungs of
the
socio-economic
ladder
look up
and say,
“why not
me too
because
my
future
is
limited
to 12
hour
days to
feed a
family
of four
and what
are the
chances
of being
caught?
Plus, if
I do get
caught,
nine
times
out of
ten I
will be
set free
in a
couple
of
days.”
Public
confidence
has
nothing
to do
with it
since
far too
many
Costa
Ricans
are
trying
to
figure
out how
to get a
piece of
the pie
instead
of
abiding
by the
law.
And, why
not?
Leadership
of Costa
Rica has
obviously
carved
in stone
a set of
ethical
standards
that are
deplorable.
Are we
expected
to
swallow
the lame
pitch
that
these
drug
cartel
people
are
working
alone
and the
kingpins
are evil
foreigners?
This is
organized
crime in
a
disorganized
country
and the
criminals
are just
as much
Costa
Rican as
they are
Colombian,
Mexican,
Jamaican,
American,
etc.
Run a
few
drugs
and get
out or
poverty,
hide
some
stash,
steal a
little
bit,
maybe a
little
more the
second
time
around
and even
more
from
then on
and on
when you
just
might
justify
doing
that to
improve
your
standard
of
living
in which
case
crime
has won
the day.
As a
traffic
cop
perhaps
you can
add to
the
family´s
comfort
level by
taking
some
bribes,
as a
police
officer,
a few
colons
to
protect
some
street
vendors
or an
illegal
immigrant
prostitute,
some
money to
offer
protection,
whatever
seems
inconsequential
compared
to what
the top
guys
get.
With
more
courage,
how
about
stealing
the
cocaine
with a
few
fellow
officers
for
resale?
One big
killing
and then
go
honest
again.
Each of
these
examples
have
been
well
publicized
in
Spanish
language
and
English
speaking
media.
This is
the new
reality
of Costa
Rica
along
with
unabated
violent
crime.
Regardless
of the
never
ending
technicalities,
judicial
incompetence,
corrupt
judges,
no
matter
how full
are the
prisons
with
criminals,
convicted
criminals
need to
go to
jail and
I don´t
mean for
a few
months
either.
La
Nación,
this is
the only
viable
option
to
“Reestablishing
Public
Confidence”.
Costa
Rica is
tired of
learning
about
and
being
victims
of
payoffs,
corruption,
drug
trafficking,
seeing
men and
women
who are
guilty
still
walk
free,
still
influential
and
moreover
socially
respected
as more
and more
of our
society
collectively
embraces
the
fatal
syndrome,
“Why not
me too?”
*John
Holtz is
the
Executive
Director
of the
Center
for the
Studies
of
Modern
Management
www.modernmanagement.org
and can
be
reached
at:
[email protected].
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Source
Apdo. 2133-1000, San José, Costa
Rica
Tel: (506) 2231 3205 / (506) 8399
9642
Fax: (506) 2232 6337
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