Archive for June, 2010
Friday, June 25th, 2010
On June 8th, 2010, the criminal court of Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica ordered the arrest and subsequent international arrest warrant for Bruno Saligari of Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.
The arrest warrant with corresponding extradition order is to be served using Interpol with the cooperation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Canada.
44 year old Bruno Saligari has been indicted on felony fraud and is wanted in Costa Rica by authorities to face trial. The Interpol notice level for Bruno Saligari is classified as a “Red Notice” due in part to the extradition order from Canada to Costa Rica. Notices are not actual arrest warrants however they are used to assist the national police forces in identifying or locating those persons with a view to their arrest and extradition. Red notices allow the warrant to be circulated worldwide with the request that the wanted person be arrested with a view to extradition.
The co-accused in this matter, also formerly from Prince George, Sarah Alice Western, has been located and injunctions placed upon her. Currently Sarah Western awaits trial in Costa Rica and is not permitted, by order of the court, to leave the country.
Interpol and the RCMP would appreciate the assistance of the public in locating Bruno Saligari.
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Friday, June 25th, 2010
A five year old boy is the latest victim of the AH1N1, bringing the total for the year to 14, confirmed the ministra de Salud, María Luisa Ávila.
The minister explained that the boy had a congenic heart, which allowed the virus to be more aggressive, causing the boy’s death.
The boy is the second child to die from the AH1N1 virus, while six other children are in hospital at the Hospital de Niños all infected with the AH1N1.
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Friday, June 25th, 2010
James Bond star Pierce Brosnan is set to star alongside son Sean in the crime thriller ‘Bonded’, which will be directed by Indian-born Mohit Ramchandani.
‘I want to make movies that not only entertain people, but also empower, educate and inspire them,’ Ramchandani, who wrote and produced ‘The Tribe’, which was filmed in Costa Rica, was quoted as saying.
The father and son will play cops in the movie about a Mexican teenager who attempts to rescue a friend from a sex trafficker, reports contactmusic.com.
Brosnan’s Irish Dream Team company is the executive producer of the film that is due to go on the floors in September.
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Friday, June 25th, 2010
Gisele Bundchen baby weight has definitely left her and good riddance. The super model debuted her post baby body in a new campaign for a spread in Vogue and the skin care line Sejaa.
Gisele Bundchen welcomed her son, Benjamin Brady, last December, and it seems that it didn’t take her long for her to get back into her bikini. The new bikini spread had Gisele going down to sunny Costa Rica to shoot the campaign. Either way, baby weight or not, Gisele looks amazing, take a look at her new spread.
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Thursday, June 24th, 2010
According to the Ministra de Trabajo (Labour ministry) three out every 10 employees in Costa Rica work for less than minimum salary. The worrisome situation was confirmed by the Ministra de Trabajo, Sandra Piszk.
Piszk said that it is vital to increase the minimum wage for workers, but it also must be respected.
The ministerio de Trabajo is currently negotiating with the public and private sector unions for the mid-year salary hike.
The government has offered the private sector 4.2%, while the unions are demanding 7.2%.
No figures have yet been offered for public sector employees.
The salary hike takes effect on July 1.
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Thursday, June 24th, 2010
A Cheboygan man is headed back to Bay County to face sentencing on federal charges after being deported from Costa Rica.
Wayne T. Duffiney, 60, has been on the lam since September when he failed to appear for sentencing in U.S. District Court in Bay City.
Duffiney was convicted in April 2009 of violating the federal Clean Water Act by discharging pollutants into navigable U.S. waters, sinking or causing the sinking of his boat, the Misty Morning, in the navigable channels of Lake Huron and failing to mark the sunken vessel with navigation aids.
Duffiney scuttled the boat, which he owned, in May 2007 in the Cheboygan River, records show.
His wife, Michelle Duffiney, was charged in October with helping Wayne Duffiney evade authorities. She allegedly told the U.S. Marshal Service that her husband had committed suicide, records show.
Authorities at the U.S. Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica, worked with Costa Rican police to track Duffiney to a hotel in Miramar, a vacation destination along the Pacific coast, about 75 miles west of San Jose.
Duffiney’s sentencing has been re-set for 3:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 9, before Judge Thomas L. Ludington.
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Thursday, June 24th, 2010
The number of deaths due to the AH1N1 virus this year is now at thirteen, the latest victim of the killer virus is a 57 year woman from Los Chiles in the northern zone. The woman, whose identity was not released to the public, died last Friday.
The vice-ministra de Salud, Ana Morice, explained “the woman, a resident of Los Chiles, showed symptoms of infection on June 13, beginning with respiratory problems and was treated for such, but the developed a fever and four days later had problems breathing. She stayed home, never went to a medical centre, dying the following day”.
Morice added that the woman also was diabetic and was vaccinated five days after her first symptoms appeared, which had no affect.
The vice-ministra said that the vaccine needs at least 15 days to begin to produce antibodies that stave off infection from the virus. The woman was treated for her respiratory problems in the clinic, Ebais de Los Chiles, where she received an analgesic.
Currently three other patients with the AH1N1, none serious, are being hospitalized at the Hospital de San Carlos.
The Zona Norte (northern zone) has been hit hard with the AH1N1.
The minsiterio de Salud confirms that it still has 20.000 doses of the vaccine and doubtful that it will be buying more before October.
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Thursday, June 24th, 2010
Facio & Cañas joined the fight for protection of the planet and collaborated with a campaign of collection of technological residues as part of the celebration of the World’s Environment Day.
The law firm donated computer equipment, UPS and in general electronic equipment. Materials were delivered to the campaign RECICLÓN, organized by CO2 Neutral 2021 civil group.
“The campaign was address to companies, because they are the ones that produce the bulk of technological material waste. In this occasion, the contribution from Facio & Cañas constitutes a considerable amount in comparison with the donations received from other sources”, commented the coordinator of the project RECICLÓN, Rafael Monge.
The managing partner of Facio & Cañas, Ernesto Hütt, explained that for the law firm it is very important that their own collaborators assume friendly practices with the planet. “Small changes from each one in our daily activities, may help protect the environment, even if it is with a grain of sand. But if sum up many small efforts from all of us, then we can improve the environment a great deal”.
Once delivered at the collection stand, the material was transferred to a company in charge of separating it. Final products will be exported to Korea, where there are specialized plants for the recycling of technological residues.
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Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
The online gaming and gambling industry continues to be impacted by rules and regulations, many of which have shut down online gaming and gambling sites. With these changes many companies have turned to offshore jurisdictions that welcome online gambling casinos. Jurisdictions within Central America and the Caribbean have become some of the most popular places to locate these online gambling sites.
Two of the more popular jurisdictions have become the soverign nations of Costa Rica and Panama. These jurisdictions allow online casinos to be operated within their legal system as a standard business provided they comply with country laws. Costa Rica in particular is gaining popularity, when compared to traditional offshore gambling jurisdictions such as Malta, because of the low startup and maintenance costs.
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Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
The ministro de la Presidencia, Marco Vargas, described as a lack of nobility, launching his attack against criticism by the former ministro de la Presidencia, Rodrigo Arias, against the government of Laura Chinchilla.
Last week Arias visited Casa Presidencial, weeks after leaving office, to meet with president Chinchilla after getting a call from the president’s secretary.
However, Casa Presidencial, in a press conference said that presidenta Chinchilla did not make the call for Arias and it was the former minister to make contact and call for an appointment.
Arias, following the meeting, said to the press he doesn’t see Chinchilla as president, but rather a former colleague.
Vargas, who was a minister in the Arias administration, responded by saying that it tacky for Arias to me making such a statement so early in the Chinchilla administration, different in a couple of years.
“It is not important what Rodrigo Arias thinks of presidenta Chinchilla, it is how the Costa Rican people see her”, said Vargas.
Before leaving office Rodrigo Arias had hinted at possibly running for president in 2014. During the past weeks it has become evident that the Arias presidential campaigning has begun.
Rodrigo Arias is brother of two-time president and Nobel prize winner, Oscar Arias.
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Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
The fate of the reforms to the Ley de Tránsito (Traffic Law) will now be up to a commission made up of nine legislators, which are expected to report in the coming two months of changes to be made to the bill that was drafted by former legislators and left behind for the current session.
At the head of the list of the analysis are changes to the drunk driving provisions, the high fines and the points system.
It is hoped that following the revision by the legislators, the bill will be passed into law.
On Monday 43 legislators voted in favour of forming a commission. The head of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) – ruling party – Viviana Martín said that the bill needs a complete review before legislators can vote on it.
Martín was the vice-ministra de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT) during the drafting the Ley de Tránsito that was approved by the previous legislature on December 2008 and went into force on March 1, 2010.
Juan Carlos Mendoza, head of the Partido Acción Cuidadana (PAC), said “we need a more coherent law”. Walter Céspedes of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) also supported the motion for the creation of the commission.
The commision is to be made up of the three legislators of the PLN, two of the PAC, two of the Movimiento Libertario (ML), one from the PUSC and one from the PASE.
The reforms proposes to reduce the current fines by as much as two thirds of the current, eliminate completely the point system and drop the blood alcohol limit from the current 0.75 to 0.50.
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Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
The U.S. State Department listed Costa Rica as a tier two country in its 10th annual report on human trafficking released this month.
The ranking, the second that uses the report’s three-tier system, grades countries based on their compliance with the United States’ Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. As a tier two country, Costa Rica “does not fully comply with the act’s minimum standards, but is making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.”
Third tier countries are the worst offenders.
Since the report’s inception in 2001, Costa Rica has consistently been listed as a tier two country, with the exception of 2008, when the country fell to the tier two watch list, signaling a decrease in compliance or a significant increase in the number of victims.
Female sex slaves, some of whom are under 18 years old, account for the majority of human trafficking victims in Costa Rica, according to the report. Women and girls from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Colombia and Panama have been subject to forced prostitution in Costa Rica. The report calls child sex tourism here “a serious problem.”
Men, women and children are also victims of forced labor in the agriculture, construction and fishing sectors, according to the report.
The report commended Costa Rica for ensuring basic assistance to trafficking victim, but determined that the country has implemented “no proactive efforts to search for trafficking victims.”
The report recommends that Costa Rica “vigorously implement anti-trafficking statutes” and “intensify efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses.”
Costa Rica’s neighbors, Nicaragua and Panama, are both listed under the tier two watch list ranking in this year’s report. Colombia, having complied with all of the U.N.’s minimum requirements to fight trafficking, is the only Latin American country that was ranked as a tier one country in this year’s report.
Story by TT
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Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
July 1 is the date being proposed by Autopistas del Sol to re-open the Atenas-Orotina section of the San José – caldera highway. However, officials of the MOPY, Concessiones and the COSEVI prefer not to refer to a specific day or date.
The date is based on a report by Autopistas to the MOPT of the progress of the work on the road to reduce the possibilities of landlslides and rock falls between kilometres 37 and 48 of the highway that was opened on January 27, 2010.
Edwin Rodríguez, heading the MOPT comission on the work, said that although the concessionaire is committing to the July 1 date, the MOPT prefers to wait before making any announcement.
Rodríguez added that the MOPT will not be making any predictions on the re-opening date, but rather will be announce the re-opening when the road is ready and the specialists have signed off on it.
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Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
Today (Tuesday), as well as Thursday and Saturday and Sunday, Ruta 32, the San José – Limón highway, will be closed mornings from 5:30am to 11am. The temporary closure of the highway is to allow a group of experts from Spain to inspect eight critical points along the route that are prone to landslides. The study, using satellite positioning and special scanning equipment is to avoid further landslides and rock falls along the highway.
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Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
Costa Rica’s Fiscal General, Francisco Dall’Anese Ruiz could be heading up the United Nations commission charged with fighting Guatemala’s corruption and impunity, following the resignation of Carlos Castresaña, the Spanish judge who led the commission for the last two years.
Mr. Castresaña resigned saying that Guatemala had failed to keep promises to follow the panel’s recommendations.
Francisco Dall’Anese refuses to confirm his candidacy for the post after rumours last week coming out of Guatemala. “I am still head of the Ministerio Público as Fiscal General de Costa Rica”, Dall’Anese told the media over the weekend.
Notwithstanding Dall’Anese is on the list of six candidates fro the post according to Noticias.com.gt out of Guatemala and is said to be one of the top three being considered.
The other two on the short list are: José Ugaz Sánchez, Peru’s Attorney General and Chilean judge, Sergio Muñoz.
The three have been responsible for high-impact cases in which investigations and convictions have included former heads of state in their countries.
Dall’Anese was recently in Guatemala and offered his ideas about justice during a course for journalists organized by the Study Centre of Guatemala (CEG).
According to the Fiscal General, corruption is a ghost that is not known how far it can go. “There is always a veneer of legality: contracts, checks, accounting, transactions, all kinds of economic operations. When something is discovered, it involves some of the above aspects, but we (in Costa Rica) are unable to measure the full extent of impunity as far as corruption is concerned.”
According to Dall’Anese, justice should not only involve the work of judges, prosecutors and the police, but above all, “we need complaints, we need witnesses and we need evidence. If people do not cooperate in this regard, there is no justice,” he said, emphasizing that judicial institutions should be provided with the necessary resources to have sustainable witness and victim protection programs. He also referred to the necessary work being carried out by CICIG in Guatemala, an entity that requires everybody’s cooperation to successfully realize the work that was entrusted to it.
Regarding “grand corruption”, he said, “Although corruption exists, grand corruption comes from people with real political power that influence institutions in order to steal or divert money for their own benefit or that of third parties, and that additionally are untouchable. There is a fear to confront these people who wield enormous power in our society and those fears have to be put to rest. If we do not stop this, the country is seized,” he said.
The Fiscal General also stated that when important corrupt individuals begin to be affected, it is because they do not have so much power or their power is diminishing. That means that in order to preserve their impunity, corrupt individuals need to turn to organized, violent criminal groups to threaten witnesses, judges, prosecutors, etc. “In short, everything organized crime does is used later by corrupt individuals. This is what some books call the combination of white corruption and black corruption,” he stressed.
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