Costa Rican president appears before lawmakers and denies corruption allegations
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/08/2025 (357 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — For the first time in Costa Rica’s history, a sitting president defended himself Friday before three lawmakers considering a petition to lift his immunity so he can be prosecuted on corruption charges.
President Rodrigo Chaves said the effort was an attempt at political revenge by the country’s attorney general and magistrates of the Supreme Court, who requested he be stripped of his immunity.
They allege that Chaves pressured a producer who had been awarded a contract by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration to give a portion of that money to a former campaign adviser.
Chaves denied the allegations. He pointed to other long-running corruption investigations in Costa Rica that continue without resolution, as well as drug traffickers who pass through the courts without punishment.
Leaving the Legislative Assembly, Chaves addressed a group of supporters, saying opposition lawmakers “staged a ridiculous case to carry out a judicial coup d’etat, to convince (people) I was a scoundrel.”
The panel of three lawmakers now have to put together a report to present to the full Congress, which will vote at a still unknown date on whether Chaves should lose his immunity or not.
Chaves, a conservative economist, ran an outsider’s campaign in 2022 despite having briefly served as finance minister in the administration of outgoing President Carlos Alvarado.
National elections are scheduled for Feb. 1, but Costa Rica does not allow presidential reelection.
____
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america