Subscribe via E-Mail

Get all of our news delivered fresh to your inbox every morning! Just tell us your name and where to send it using the form below.

PS – We hate spam too. We don’t sell or share our list with anyone, and we never send commercial email.




luxe
Friday, January 29th, 2016  |  USD: Buy 531.29 / Sell 543.92
20 years

Corruption trial of former lawmaker, Jorge Angulo, still a long way off

Email this page

Lawmaker Jorge Angulo faces 19 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

Lawmaker Jorge Angulo faces 19 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

December 3rd, 2014 (InsideCostaRica.com) The corruption trial of former Liberationist lawmaker, Jorge Angulo, appears to still be a long way from reaching the courtroom.

 

Angulo’s son, Jorge Angulo Jr., told CRHoy.com that his father requires heart surgery before a trial can proceed, but doctors are unable to perform the surgery until he loses weight.  He said that his father is on a strict diet and is trying to exercise, and has lost 66 pounds, but must lose more before he can be deemed fit for surgery.

 

Angulo’s trial has been delayed at least four times since July 2013.

 

The former lawmaker is facing eight criminal charges including influence peddling, extortion, and corruption.

 

The charges against Angulo stem from charges that were filed in mid-2011, accusing Angulo of influence peddling, corruption, extortion and other crimes in relation to his alleged interference with the Regional Development Board of the Southern Zone (Judesur), which administers the Golfito free trade zone.

 

Angulo is accused of charging a construction company a ¢10 million (~$20,000 USD) kickback for each contract awarded to the firm by Judesur, which prosecutors said, “acted under the influence of Angulo.”  At least 11 other individuals are also facing charges related to the case, including charges of racketeering, extortion, fraud, and embezzlement, amongst others.

 

In addition, Angulo is accused of extorting money from a company that built a high school in San Vito, Coto Brus, as well as running up a bill of nearly $2,000 for lodging and meals at a hotel in Golfito and charging it to Judesur.

 

If convicted on all charges, Angulo could face up to 19 years behind bars.

 

costa rica news

ATTENTION: If you are seeing this message,


Advertisement


Get our news delivered fresh to your inbox every morning.

Click here to subscribe to our email list. We hate spam too and never send commercial email.

Like us on Facebook and receive our news in your timeline

  • HONEST MAN

    Lets not forget that this Scum bag is part of the PLN party that have stolen everything in this country. The PLN own the courts and justice ministry so he will never spend an hr in jail.

  • richard schlinder

    Honest. I agree. That is why I am encouraged by the actions of Pres. Solis. He is cleaning house as best as one man can. Judges,attorneys, ministry heads,law enforcement officers and others have been charged with crimes.. And that ,all in his first 200 days. People say that’s because he is an academic,that’s bull. What he is is an honest man.

    • CostaRicaChris

      Solis has no chance. Crooked judiciaries do not convict crooked lawyers, unless they do not pay enough

  • Shawn Carter

    But he looks so innocent.

  • Ken Morris

    This is weird. Is the stress of a trial for anyone with a heart condition considered such a violation of their rights that the trial can’t be held? Then, a defendant can postpone surgery until he loses weight? I wonder if this strategy would work for the rest of us: “Sorry, I can’t be tried until I’m no longer sick, although actually I’ll stay sick forever.”

    • Shawn Carter

      This sounds crazy. It is heard to believe that a person can keep delaying a trial forever over health reasons? It seems you have been here longer than me, is this really the way it works? From your other comments I can tell you have been here longer than me, Can the reporting here on Inside Costa Rica usually be trusted? I don’t see anything about this on La Nation. It is just so hard to believe this story.

      • Ken Morris

        It doesn’t matter how long you have been here, since you will still be blindsided by the unpredictable judges (as well as the unpredictable bureaucrats). Rule #1 is that logic and common sense don’t necessarily apply! However, in this case, I’m honestly asking too. The legal reasoning that apparently allows a defendant to postpone a trial indefinitely while he loses weight escapes me.

        To your other question, yes, the reporting in ICR can generally be trusted. Tim, your editor, tries very hard to stick to the facts, and although he might flub one from time to time, he’s pretty reliable.

        Unfortunately, Tim is also a believer in the short and direct news story. This of course has its advantages, since stories don’t meander into conjecture. However, it has the disadvantage of sometimes not providing all the facts the reader needs to form an opinion. When there is a problem with a story in ICR, it’s usually what is left out rather than what is included.

        • Shawn Carter

          Any idea why this guy is not at least in preventiva prison? From the story it seems he is living freely at the moment?

          • Ken Morris

            Nope, and I wonder that myself. You or I would probably be sitting in prison and having our heart attacks there (although we’d probably lose weight on the prison diet).

    • expatin paradise

      It was a feeble health argument to begin with. Now, he needs surgery but must first lose weight? Like most of the other major criminals here, he will die of natural causes before they ever set a trial date. Only the petty criminals (and foreigners) here do real time. Others rip off many people of their life savings and are allowed to continue to operate casinos while their victims go unpaid. This case reminds me of Nixon’s phlebitis.

      As for Solis and his intent to reform government and balance the budget, I agree with the cynics here. It is time for the Costa Rican people to acknowledge that the president has no real ability to effectuate change. The legislative Assembly passes the laws, and by the time legislators can agree on the language of laws, the laws no longer meet constitutional requirements.

  • prdatki

    He does not need hear surgery to be hanged!

  • richard schlinder

    Chris. Please keep watching the articles on Solis in ICR. Also teletica news at 7:00 pm. He has one purpose,to cut the C.R. debt. He is looking in every corner to cut spending. Early on He discovered that there were 117 cars charged to the White House and no one knows where they are. Solis will find them.

    • TJ

      Passing a budget with no cuts in spending and a 20% increase doesn’t look good for the debt. A plea to the World Bank for more loans doesn’t either….I honestly don’t think Solis will get much done. The legislature will muck up any real initiative he begins and will down in a bureaucratic quagmire. This will happen for the next 4 years until a PLN or PAC dominant party takes over. Ticos just don’t really care and play the “pura vida” card when it comes to their gov’t corruption and inefficiency.

    • Shamboodatay

      Fire everyone at ICE and hire 50 Germans.

Popular Content