MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Former OAS chief in Costa Rican Court

Former Organization of American States, OAS, Secretary General Miguel Angel Rodríguez was handcuffed and carried away on arriving this Friday to San Jose airport in Costa Rica where he must respond to alleged claims of bribery which abruptly cut short his recent naming in OAS.

A few people with charts reading "No to corruption" and "Teach me how to steal" were present when Mr. Rodriguez, also a former Costa Rican president, was transferred to a police van and driven to Court in downtown San Jose escorted by security and Judiciary motorcycles.

"I'm cool, with great faith in God. I'm not afraid. I've returned to defend myself and prove that I'm innocent of all charges", said Mr. Rodríguez to the waiting press corps.

Mr. Rodriguez was Costa Rica's president from 1998 to 2002 and became OAS Secretary General last September 15, but only 17 days later was forced to resign when allegations of having taken bribes involving a million US dollars from a French telecommunications company surfaced in the local press.

Apparently Mr. Rodriguez and other high ranking officials received a total of 9,4 million US dollars for a 240 million US dollars cellular phones operation contract in Costa Rica.

A former general manager of the Costa Rican Telephones System confirmed in court that former president Rodriguez and the board of the Costa Rican Electricity company were paid 4,4 million US dollars.

Mr. Rodriguez is also under suspicion of having received two 100,000 US dollars payments from a Spanish company Inabensa Abengoa that was awarded a 52 million US dollars contract to rewire San Jose's underground grid. Apparently the former president was also paid bribes equivalent to 1,5 million US dollars by the Taiwanese government and Taiwanese companies.

Costa Rica's Attorney General Francisco Dall'Anesse gave instructions for the former president to be treated as any other suspect. Potential charges include illegal enrichment, bribery and aggravated corruption.

Mr. Rodríguez flew in to Costa Rica from the United States where he went missing for a week following his resignation October 8.

In related news the French communication giant Alcatel announced that the company's CEO in Costa Rica had been relieved of duties and is in the process of being fired for allegedly bribing former president Miguel Angel Rodriguez.

"It has recently been brought to our attention that the president of Alcatel in Costa Rica has violated Alcatel' code of conduct which applicable company wide", a spokesperson for the telecommunications company said of CEO Edgar Valverde.