Rodrigo Chaves Robles, who is facing allegations of corruption and the possibility of a criminal trial, is the first sitting president in Costa Rica history to testify before a legislative committee.
The three-member committee discussed whether Chaves Robles’ immunity as president should be upheld at the hearing on Friday.
In the event that Chaves Robles is accused of using government funds to pay kickbacks to an ally, that would open the door for prosecution.
Chaves Robles has accused his rivals of using the judiciary to overthrow his government and has denied any wrongdoing.
Chaves Robles said on Friday, “What we are experiencing has historic consequences.” The attorney general and the criminal court are allegedly rigging the entire nation.
He claimed to have “staged a ridiculous case to carry out a judicial coup d’etat” and to persuade the public that he was a “scoundrel” before the Legislative Assembly.
Following Chaves Robles’ testimony to the full legislative assembly, the committee must submit a report to the committee, which will decide whether to grant him legal protection.
Chaves Robles, a conservative economist and former finance minister, is accused of forcing a partner to use money from a contract with a development bank, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, to pay Federico Cruz, his former presidential adviser.
According to the prosecution, Cruz allegedly used the $ 32, 000 to purchase a home.
The bank admitted to conducting its own internal investigation, which the attorney general of Costa Rica received as a result, to the Reuters news agency. Patricia Navarro, the president’s former communications minister, and Christian Bulgarelli, a businessman, are among the witnesses for the prosecution.
In response to the accusations, Chaves Robles said, “I never ordered the delivery of money to anyone.”
The accusations do not meet the “minimum requirements” for the removal of presidential immunity, according to his attorney, Jose Miguel Villalobos.
Chaves Robles’ immunity would need to be revoked by the Legislative Assembly through a supermajority.
Chaves Robles, a member of the conservative Social Democratic Progress Party, was seen as a dark horse candidate in his 2022 presidential campaign.
He was still subject to scrutiny for allegedly operating an illegal parallel campaign financing structure even then. Additionally, he was charged with sexual harassment while working for the World Bank by numerous other women.
In 2026, Chaves Robles is unable to run for president in part because of the law’s prohibition on consecutive presidential terms.
Source: Aljazeera
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