QCOSTARICA — Despite being suspended from her duties as executive president of the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) and being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office, Marta Eugenia Esquivel is once again in President Rodrigo Chaves’ inner circle.. • Photos: Catalina Mairena
Profile image of Daniel SuarezDaniel Suarezdaniel.suarez@grupoextra.com
On Wednesday, President Chaves announced that Esquivel is the new head of the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy (Mideplán), a position with which she will enjoy immunity in the event of being criminally prosecuted for the 10 cases pending against her.
The new head of the Mideplán, who was suspended from her previous position in October 2024, will occupy the new position that was held on an interim basis by the Minister of the Presidency Laura Fernández Delgado.
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“In general, all ministers have immunity in the exercise of their positions, because that is what the Constitution establishes. This means that they cannot be detained, sanctioned for the opinions they express or criminally prosecuted,” explained lawyer Luis Felipe Rodríguez.
To be clear, while the CCSS is a state institution, the executive president is not a member of cabinet (governing council) and thus does not have immunity.
With the announcement of her entering the President’s inner circle, the investigation being carried out for the Barrenador case, where Esquivel appears as one of the main implicated according to file 24-000267-1218-PE, will be transferred to the Attorney General’s Office, because Esquivel is now a figure of the Supreme Powers, the process is now more complex.
Putting a positive spin on her experience over the last several months, the new head of Mideplán said: “What I have experienced will not be wasted and will be an instrument of change for this country”.
According to President Rodrigo Chaves, his appointment of the new minister is because “I will not waste the talent of Marta Esquivel,” since the official “is ready for more.”
At the beginning of the Chaves Administration, Esquivel served as head of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS), later she served as executive president of the CCSS until she was suspended for an alleged overcharge of ¢12.4 billion colones for the administration of Ebáis (local clinics) by five cooperatives.
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Shameful and reprehensible
Esquivel’s return to public office did not go down well in various sectors of national politics. From the national union of CCSS employees, the Unión Nacional de Empleados de la Caja (Undeca), they called Esquivel’s new position shameful.
“It is an affront to the Judiciary, it is a shameful and reprehensible act that a public official, who is under precautionary measures and investigation, is rewarded by being appointed Minister,” said Deivis Ovares, director of Undeca.
Rodrigo Chaves has supported Esquivel from the very moment that the precautionary measures were known following Esquivel’s detention on October 11, confirming that the government would appeal the decision.
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According to Chaves, there was pressure on the judge, and he claims that it seems “absurd” to him that Esquivel should be removed from office after she herself returned to her duties while the measures were being drafted.
At the same time, Chaves questioned the actions of the judiciary, emphasizing that they serve as a tool to pressure the executive, without explaining what those pressures were.
“She has my support, my respect and my appreciation. Let this be clear to the people of Costa Rica, for me this is a farce, and I have said it many times, a warning shot to the Executive Branch that there are very powerful interests in this country,” said Chaves.
Among the allegations Esquivel is being investigated for are: ideological falsehood, influence against the public treasury, breach of duty, embezzlement, illegal appointments, prevarication, and influence peddling.
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