Q COSTARICA – The Minister of Justice, Gerald Campos, waived his immunity on Monday in order to submit to an investigation for alleged crimes of embezzlement and ideological falsehood, in a case linking him to former magistrate Celso Gamboa.
The decision to waive the immunity he holds as a member of the Executive Branch was communicated in a letter addressed to the President of the Legislative Assembly, Rodrigo Arias, 20 minutes after the Full Court agreed to forward the request to lift his immunity submitted by the Attorney General’s Office to Congress.
In total, 17 magistrates voted in favor of sending the case to the Legislative Assembly, while five voted against it.
“To guarantee the broadest possible transparency and the full conduct of the hearings to be held before the Criminal Cassation Court, I hereby make available to this Assembly my irrevocable decision to waive any immunity from prosecution I may hold,” Campos stated in the letter.
According to the official, his objective is to facilitate the prompt clarification of the facts and contribute to the rule of justice.
The leader of the ruling party, Pilar Cisneros, confirmed the document had been sent to the President of Congress.
The case against Campos dates back to 2016, when he held another public office. The case involves alleged excessive travel expenses and irregular overtime payments. The investigation indicates that, along with his then-bodyguard—an official named Jara—Campos authorized irregular payments while performing official duties.
According to information published by CRHoy.com, the bodyguard earned ¢5.8 million in overtime between April 2016 and January 2017, as well as ¢800,000 in travel expenses.
The Prosecutor’s Office believes this could be a misuse of public funds.
Although the case was initially processed before the Second Judicial Circuit Trial Court of San José, when Campos assumed the position of minister, the case was transferred to the Attorney General’s Office, which had to follow a special procedure because he is a member of the supreme powers.
Now, with the waiver of his immunity, Gerald Campos becomes the first minister of the current government to voluntarily submit to this type of judicial process.
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