|
Sexual
Harassment
Case
Of
Legislator
Confirmed
The
conviction
in
the
sexual
harassment
case
against
former
National
Liberation
Party
lawmaker
Federico
Tinoco
has
been
reviewed
and
confirmed
by a
Superior
Labor
Court
this
week.
The
sentence
will
cost
Tinoco
and
the
government,
as
Tinoco's
accomplice,
˘20
million
colones
in
damages
to
be
paid
to
Tinoco's
accuser,
a
congressional
aide
he
took
with
him
in
2006
on a
fact-finding
trip
to
Talamanca
canton
in
Limon
province
to
consult
with
native
Costa
Ricans
about
a
bill
affecting
them.
The
plaintiff's
lawyer,
Paulo
Zuniga,
said
the
review
serves
to
"re-vindicate"
his
client
who
suffered
"grave
moral
damage"
as
well
as
her
family.
The
case
took
even
longer
than
usual
for
the
Costa
Rican
judicial
system,
since
the
original
accusation
was
made
in
February
of
2007.
However,
the
original
sentence
in
April,
2010,
contained
a
compensation
to
the
plaintiff
of
only
˘10
million
colones.
That
sentence
was
annulled
on
appeal
due
to
an
unresolved
constitutional
question.
When
the
constitutional
appeal
was
rejected
by
Sala
IV,
the
case
was
thrown
into
the
Labor
Court
for
review,
the
sentence
was
upheld
and
the
compensation
in
favor
of
the
plaintiff
doubled.
However,
the
case
may
not
yet
be
settled.
Since
the
review
altered
the
original
sentence,
it
still
could
be
raised
again
to
the
Sala
II
appeals
court
if
Tinoco
or
the
prosecution
should
decide
to
do
so.
The
case
at
the
time
of
the
original
sentence
was
hailed
by
feminist
activists
as a
final
death
knell
for
the
old
Latin
machismo
culture
in
Costa
Rica
of
the
last
century.
Before
the
complaint
by
Tinoco's
aide
had
been
filed,
sexual
harassment
cases
were
virtually
unknown.
By
Rod
Hughes,
Fijatevos.com |
