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Aug 09ELECTIONS AND TRIALS: A THIN LINE BETWEEN BECOMING A PRESIDENT AND A BECOMING A CONVICT.
Two weeks ago, Juan Carlos Cubillo’s voice, one of the attorneys for the Ministerio Público, was heard through the courtroom as his words were delivered toward former president and current candidate representing Partido Unidad Social Cristiana for the 2010 presidential elections, Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier, at the final statements in the long awaited sentence to the Caja-Fischel Trial.
Caderon´s being accused by the prosecution, with two charges of embezzlement and two more of corruption related to the purchase of obsolete medical equipment for the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (C.C.S.S.), the department in charge of social security and healthcare in Costa Rica. The purchase was made possible by a given loan from the goverment of Finland.
The Fiscalía (prosecution) asked 24 years of prison for Calderon Fournier to the Tribunal Penal de Goicoechea for the alleged indicments. At the same time, seven other people are being indicted as well, for participating in the Finnish loan made possible by Corporación Fischel, a group that tied all of the accused .
Last Friday, the legal adviser for C.C.S.S., also demanded a total of $46 million to be payed to the institution in compensatory damages by the eight people involve in the accusations.
As for today, recognized in the past as one of Costa Rica`s biggest political parties, in a mostly two-party system that saw its collpase 10 years ago, Partido Unidad Social Crsitiana, is at stake once again, awaiting for the final resolution as Calderon Fournier, one of the most representative member in its lines, faces these charges.
Calderón Fournier served as president from 1990 to 1994. His father, Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, who also served as president from 1940 to 1944, was one of Costa Ricas’ leading figures in politics in the mid-twentieth century. During his term, he founded the Universidad de Costa Rica, the most prestigious university in Costa Rica and one of the top-ranked universities among Latin America; promoted the Labor Code; developed a series of reforms called the Social Guarantees, which lead the path to social security with the creation of the C.C.S.S. Coincidentially, the current trial lead agaisnt Calderón Fournier and the other people accused, involves the C.C.S.S. in a way that it was used as a decoy to make the loan possible. The institution not only suffered in the healthcare department that covers all costaricans, but was affected in their retirmement plans that includes half of the population, 2 million people approximately. Therefore, if found guilty, not only the political party will be damaged, but the Calderon family name in a way that an institution his father created to play such a big role in the development of the country, was used by a group of people, including his son, to play a out major act of corruption.
The final sentence that will be pronounced by the Trinbunal de Goicoechea, could determine, not only 2010 elections, but the way a new political system will arise within PLN (Partido Liberación nacional) and PAC (Partido Acción Ciudadana), the other two major parties at Costa Rica, that will endure, not only a tougher battle for the presidential elections, but for the number of seats at the Asamblea Legislativa, the Congress. Therefore, the closure of the trial, whatever the decission made by the judges, brings light in the horizon of Costa Rica’s legislation in terms of investigating possible acts of corruption made by public figures and servants as well as going to the top of government hierarchy. In that sense, more than a public embarassment as seen by some political analysts, the Caja-Fischel Trial brings out, not only the worst in human condition by means of acts of corruption, but the best of the social condition of a country that stands against anything that damages the public interest.