Editor’s Note
This article highlights a legislative report on the Diamante Case that notably excludes calls for sanctions against current and former mayors implicated in alleged corruption. The omission raises questions about the political handling of municipal graft investigations.
A report approved this Thursday by deputies from the National Liberation Party (PLN), the Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC), and the New Republic Party (PNR) regarding the Diamante Case omits requesting specific sanctions against mayors and former mayors linked to the alleged municipal corruption network.
Furthermore, the transcription of recordings that evidence the alleged corruption was also not included.
The Legislative Assembly’s Commission for the Control of Public Income and Expenditure approved the document with the support of legislators Dinorah Baquero, Francisco Nicolás, and Katherine Moreira from the PLN; Vanessa Castro from the PUSC; and Yonder Salas from the PNR, who was also the report’s drafter.
In this way, the so-called care network once again prevented tarnishing the names of political figures primarily associated with the PLN.
Voting in opposition were Sofía Guillén from the Broad Front; the ruling party members Paola Nájera and Manuel Morales; as well as independent Kattia Cambronero.
The implicated former mayors are from San José Johnny Araya, the mayor of Cartago Mario Redondo, and four other former municipal leaders: Alfredo Córdoba (San Carlos), Alberto Cole (Osa), Humberto Soto (Alajuela), and Arnoldo Barahona (Escazú). Four of these former officials are or were from the PLN.
Guillén denounced that the approved report omits key elements, such as telephone intercepts conducted by the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) and made public.
The Diamante Case investigates an alleged corruption network in the awarding of public works contracts in various municipalities, involving officials and contracting companies. The lack of explicit mentions in the report has raised questions about a possible political protection network favoring those implicated.