QCOSTARICA — It will not be an easy holiday season, politically speaking, for Costa Rica president Rodrigo Chaves given the statements made to a legislative commission by his former ‘star’ minister, Luis Amador.
The former Minister of Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), finally appeared before the Comisión de Infraestructura de la Asamblea Legislativa (Infrastructure Commission of the Legislative Assembly.
After two failed attempts, Amador appeared before the legislators last Friday, in a first session.
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The morning hearing focused on the investigation into the granting of the permit for the precarious use of the vehicle technical inspection (RTV) to the company Dekra, despite not being the one with the best rating.
Amador defended the decision taken and pointed out, on repeated occasions, that it was the Public Services Regulatory Authority, the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep),finally, responsible for removing the price criterion from the final decision.
In the midst of that, and in response to the question from the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) legislator, Alejandra Larios, about the promise that the reinspection would be free – which ultimately did not happen – Amador pointed out that it was President Rodrigo Chaves who gave false information.
With that argument, he referred to a press conference on August 24, 2024. “Rodrigo Chaves says: “at half price and without charging for the second review,” Amador recalls.
“I say (in that same conference) ‘we are trying to have a model where there is reinspection of a defect, trying not to charge, when it is multiple defects it would have to be charged,’” he added.
When asked by legislator Larios whether it was Chaves who deceived the population on that issue, the former official’s response was clear: “In my opinion, he gave information that is not true at that time.”
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Inaccuracies
The discussion on free reinspection and what the president said was also addressed in the round of questions by legislators Luis Diego Vargas, of the Liberal Progresista, and Francisco Nicolás, of the PLN.
For Amador, Rodrigo Chaves did not know many of the aspects that were being handled in the contracting process and, therefore, his statements were not the most appropriate.
“There are many inaccuracies when the president refers to some aspects that he does not handle technically,” said the former minister.
“Do you dare to say too much?” legislator Vargas asked him immediately.
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“Yes, correct,” answered Amador.
After Chaves’ promise that the reinspection would not be charged at the conference on August 24, Amador pointed out to the legislators that he, at the same conference, tried to rectify and leave open the possibility of not charging and that he later clarified the issue to the president.
“I tried to rectify and privately clarify that he is not correct,” Amador responded to Francisco Nicolás, and added that Chaves “does not answer me.”
Repair on the Guanacaste Airport runway
Legislators also focused on the issue on the awarding of the repair work on the runway of the Guanacaste airport.
Legislators who attended the hearing on Friday believe that there was “corruption” on the part of President Rodrigo Chaves after Amador told them that he received pressure from the president to award the repair work in favor of Pedregal.
“It is of immense concern that acts of corruption by this government continue to be uncovered. It is of concern that Costa Ricans have been deceived by saying that the damage to the runway was due to a storm,” said legislator Larios.
His colleague, Francisco Nicolás, also considered Chaves’ alleged request to the former minister to be “immoral.”
“That is corruption,” said the PLN legislator.
Alejandro Pacheco, legislator for the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC), the pressure denounced by Amador to award the contract in favor of a company is inconceivable.
However, legislator Pilar Cisneros, who heads the Partido Progreso Social Democrático (PPSD) – ruling party’s – legislative fraction, considered Chaves’ pressure on Amador to be “fair.”
“You (in reference to Amador) say that you received improper pressure from Rodrigo Chaves for the award. Pedregal’s offer was much cheaper than MECO’s, which is why you were rightly interested in saving the Costa Ricans US$2 million,” Cisneros defended.
What did the former minister say?
The award was finally in the hands of MECO. However, the former head of the MOPT considered that in the process he did feel pressure from Chaves.
“I perceived improper pressure from the President to somehow try to have the repair of the runway awarded to the company Pedregal and not to Meco,” said the former minister.
He added that he received several group calls from Chaves, in which the president of the National Emergency Commission (CNE), Alejandro Picado, and the head of legal advice of that institution, Eduardo Mora, also participated.
The main question was how the selection of the company in charge of the rehabilitation of the runway was going.
“My answer was that the selection of the company in charge of the works was not part of my competencies as minister. That was decided by a careful technical assessment that corresponded to the CNE in conjunction with officials from Civil Aviation,” he said.
He assured that when MECO was chosen, Chaves was upset and complained to him several times.
Amador also emphasized that the decision to award the contract to MECO was not his, but the CNE’s, and that including it in the emergency decree was Chaves’ decision.
Luis Amador
Luis Amador, a shining star in Rodrigo Chaves’ cabinet and aiming to be Rodrigo Chaves Robles’ successor starting in 2026, was fired by Chaves in March 2023, less than one year at his post.
When Luis Amador was appointed head of the MOPT he was a complete unknown in the national political sphere, as were many of the ministers appointed by Chaves.
Amador is a graduate of Civil Engineering from the Universidad Fidelitas, who also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the same university, as well as a PhD in Civil Engineering from New Brunswick and a Master of Arts in Economics from Concordia University in Canada, where he is currently an associate professor.
Following his dismissal in March, Amador ‘self-exiles’ himself in Canada to resume his work as a professor at the same university where he worked before joining Chaves’ team in 2022.
Amador has stated his innocence all along and is intent on proving it. And the reasons for his appearance before the legislative commission, though legislators demanded his return to Costa Rica to appear before them.
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