Former President
Rodriguez Faces
Trial In the
ICE-Alcatel Case
Beginning
Wednesday
From the really
"who cares"
department,
former Costa
Rica president,
Miguel Ángel
Rodríguez, will
have his day in
court beginning
on Wednesday
(April 14).
The former
president and
eight others
will be sitting
in the
defendant's
chair for their
involvement in
the ICE-Alcatel
case.
The group is
accused by the
Ministerio
Público for
their role in
the purchase of
ICE of 400.000
cellular lines
from the French
telecom,
Alcatel, back in
2001, during the
Rodríguez
administration.
The former
president and
the others are
accused of
illegal
enrichment (enriquecimiento
ilícito) and
concusión (an
official abusing
his office,
compels or
induces someone
to give or
promise oneself
improperly for a
capital gain).
Rodríguez has
rejected all the
charges,
claiming he is
innocent of any
wrongdoing.
The Fiscalía
charges that
Rodríguez
received
us$800.000 as a
bribes.
The former
president gave
up his
presidency of
the Organization
of American
States (OAS) one
month in to face
charges in Costa
Rica, where he
was promptly
arrested on his
return and spent
several months
in La Reforma
prison while the
Ministerio
Público
continued its
investigation.
The charges
against the
former president
stemmed from
declarations
from José
Antonio Lobo, an
ICE former board
director and
friend of Miguel
Angel, who told
prosecutors of
the former
president's
involvement in
the sharing of
some us$2
million dollars
paid by Alcatel
to get the deal
done.
The trial will
be held on the
third floor of
the Goicoechea
courthouse,
where to 110
witnesses are
expected to give
testimony, 67
for the
prosecution, in
a trial that is
expected to run
for months.
This is the same
courthouse that
held the trial
of former
president Rafael
Ángel Calderón
last year, who
after a lenghty
trial was foung
guilty and
sentenced to
five years
prison in the
Caja-Fischel
case. Calderón
is in the the
process of
appealing his
sentence.
In addition to
former president
Miguel Ángel
Rodríguez
Echeverría, also
on trial will
are: Joaquín
Alberto
Fernández
Alfaro, Guido
Sibaja Fonseca,
Edgar Valverde
Acosta, Luis
Adrián Quirós
Carmona, Alfonso
Guardia Mora,
Eliseo Vargas
García, Eduardo
E. Fonseca
García, and
Rodrigo Méndez
Soto.
http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2004/october/12/nac0.htm
http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2004/october/20/nac0.htm
http://insidecostarica.com/photos/rodriguez-04-10-15/index.htm
http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2005/march/16/nac01.htm
http://insidecostarica.com/archives/2006/sep/06-09-21.htm
Articles on
Miguel Angel
Rodriguez on
Inside Costa
Rica
Articles on
ICE-Alcatel Case
on Inside Costa
Rica |
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