Q COSTARICA — Costa Rica President Rodrigo Chaves categorically ruled out waiving his immunity in the context of the investigation he faces by the Prosecutor’s Office related to the CABEI case.
“Gentlemen, I will never waive my immunity, not because I’m afraid; my conscience is clear. The people already know, and everyone already knows, that this is a complete mess. Do you think I’m going to waste this historic opportunity to continue showing these people what needs to be fixed?” Chaves said at the weekly press conference on Wednesday.
The President’s statement comes days after his appearance before a legislative committee considering the request by the Full Court to lift presidential immunity, a decision that is expected in two weeks.
Chaves argued that presidential immunity is not a personal privilege, but rather a guarantee established in the Political Constitution that allows the head of state to exercise his functions without having to face judicial proceedings that interrupt his work.
“Presidential immunity is not a whim. It is a protection provided by the Constitution so that the president can govern without having to run to court every day,” he stated.
In contrast, the president referred to the decision on Tuesday by former Minister of Culture Jorge Rodríguez, co-accused in the case with Chaves, to waive his immunity in the same case.
“I congratulate the minister for waiving his immunity. He has nothing to fear, and neither do I. But the circumstances and the position he holds are different from mine,” Chaves noted.
Chaves also challenged legislators to speak out on the issue: “I tell you, gentlemen, show that there was a justified reason, that this monstrosity, this farce that Carlo Díaz pulled, is justified, and vote for it, deputies.”
The Case
The judicial investigation focuses on an alleged “tailor-made” contract to benefit the company RMC La Productora S.A. (known as Nocaut) for an amount exceeding US$400,000 during the current administration.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Chaves and Rodríguez—who served as Minister of Communications at the time—interceded so that businessman Christian Bulgarelli Rojas (now a crown witness in the case) would grant US$32,000 to Federico Cruz, the president’s personal advisor and friend, in exchange for the contract.
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