Costa Rica protests against U.S. over detention of general prosecutor

[arcos]

Source: Xinhua

SAN JOSE, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Costa Rica's Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed its protest to the United States following the detention of the country's general prosecutor.

Francisco Dall'Anesse was detained at Miami airport on April 23when he was about to enter the United States on an official trip.

"With this strong protest, (Costa Rica's) Foreign Ministry echoes the disagreement of the people and government of Costa Rica. This aggression against our general prosecutor is an affront to all Costa Ricans," said the protest note.

<snip>

Invited by the general prosecutor of the United States, Dall'Anese was on his trip to attend two prosecutors' meetings before he was detained.

"This episode is one of many reiterated incidents affecting Costa Rican officials and it reveals the United States' serious disrespect of international juridical regulations. This attitude, evidently, does not contribute to strengthening friendship and cooperation in the framework of mutual defense before common threats," stated the protest note.

<snip>

Read more: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/26/content_8054843.htm

---

The "general prosecutor" has quite a few of the responsibilities of the Attorney General in the US, although here it is not a strictly political position... meaning, he is not named by the President, but by the Supreme Court.

Funny thing is, he apparently was going to attend the deposition of Christian Sapsizian, former Alcatel executive, who was charged in the US for paying bribes to Costa Rican government officials. Dall'Anasse is investigating this case in Costa Rica too, and a former President, right winger Miguel Angel Rodríguez, was jailed and is currently awaiting trial because he apparently negotiated (and received) a $1 million bribe from Alcatel.

[fasttense]

1. Sounds like DOJ, with the help of Homeland Security,

is playing politics again just like the USSR.

[clixtox]

2. The lid on this story is screwed on very tight...

It looks like the only newspaper that is still independent of USA government coercion is located in The Peoples Republic of CHINA!<>

Amazingly this story seems to have not been reported anywhere else in the world. so far.

Except here!

I wonder how "arcos" first heard about this official government kidnapping of a foreign official?

[arcos]

10. It was reported in the local media...

I'm Costa Rican, and it's the top story on all newspapers today.

[lonestarnot]

3. WTF?

Seriously! :wtf:

[Judi Lynn]

4. This is unbelievable. I found an article from the Costa Rican A.M.Costa Rica site:

Top prosecutor deplores treatment at Miami airport
By José Pablo Ramírez Vindas
and the A.M. Costa Rica staff

(Posted Friday at 5:15 p.m.)

The nation's chief prosecutor is furious because U.S. officials in Miami, Florida, detained him, put him in a room with a handcuffed individual and basically forced him to return to Costa Rica.

The prosecutor or fiscal general is Francisco Dall'Anesse, and he said he went to Miami at the invitation of the U.S. government to interview a European who has information on high-level political links to a fraud case. He said he thought that his treatment at the Miami airport was designed to prevent him from interviewing this individual.

The foreign ministry said it has filed a formal protest with the U.S. Embassy here.

The incident in the airport happened Wednesday, said the fiscal, who elaborated on what happened in a press conference Friday. He also released the text of five-page letter he had sent to Bruno Stagno, the minister of Relaciones Exteriores y Culto.

Dall'Anesse, who does not speak English, said he identified himself without effect to U.S. officials at the Miami airport as the chief law enforcement officer of Costa Rica. He also said he carried an official Costa Rican passport.

More:
http://www.amcostarica.com/

Why THE HELL would _Bush do this to the guy? This is dirty. What a vicious, nasty act. I presume this is their way of warning him that he's on their enemies' list, his life is truly in their hands, and should expect nothing but worse ahead if he doesn't try to please them in the future.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Does anyone know anything about this case he was working on?

From the a.m.costarica website:

Processing visitors at the Miami airport is the responsibility of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Dall'Anesse identified one of the officers involved by the last name of Vega. He said this man, who spoke Spanish, told him orders from his superiors prevented him from telling Dall'Anesse the reason for his detention. The man would not further identify these superiors, he said.

Once Dall'Anesse said he wanted to return to Costa Rica, Vega became very helpful and escorted him to the American Airlines ticket counter. Later at the hotel Dall'Anesse said he could not make international calls on his telephone.

Dall' Agnesse said in his letter that his interpretation was that he was held to prevent him from having access to the unidentified European individual who had information on the case.

Dall'Anesse said the fraud case has been investigated from about a year but has been hampered because of lack of access to information from the United States.

Apparently they are pounding home a message that he'd better leave this case completely alone or ELSE. Monsters.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Here's something on Acatel: U.S. grand jury indicts Alcatel exec there in cell phone deal

U.S. grand jury indicts Alcatel exec there in cell phone deal
Published Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007, in Vol. 7, No. 1
Special to A.M. Costa Rica


A federal grand jury in Miami, Florida, has indicted a former Alcatel CIT executive on charges related to making corrupt payments to Costa Rican officials in order to obtain a mobile telephone contract from the state-owned telecommunications authority, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Department of Justice has announced.

The 10-count indictment charges Christian Sapsizian, 60, a French citizen, with conspiring to make over $2.5 million in bribe payments to Costa Rican officials in order to obtain a telecommunications contract on behalf of Alcatel, making corrupt payments, and laundering the bribes through a consultant. Sapsizian was previously charged and arrested in Miami on a criminal complaint issued Dec. 1.

Until Nov. 30 Alcatel was a French telecommunications company, whose American depositary receipts were traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Sapsizian was employed by Alcatel or one of its subsidiaries for over 20 years. At the time of the conduct alleged in the indictment, he was the deputy vice president responsible for Latin America.

The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, known as ICE, the state-owned telecommunications authority in Costa Rica, was responsible for awarding all telecommunications contracts, including mobile telephone contracts, according to the indictment.

Prior to 2000, Alcatel had been unsuccessful in obtaining mobile telephone contracts in Costa Rica, repeatedly losing to a competitor which utilized a different technology than Alcatel, said the indictment.

The indictment alleges that from February 2000 through September 2004, Sapsizian conspired with Alcatel’s senior representative in Costa Rica to make payments to a member of ICE’s board of directors, who was also an advisor to a more senior official in the Costa Rican government.

The payments were intended to cause the ICE official to exercise his influence to initiate a bid process which favored Alcatel’s technology and to vote to award Alcatel a mobile telephone contract, said the federal indictment. Sapsizian is charged with offering the ICE official 1.5 percent to 2 percent of the value of the contract in exchange for the ICE
official’s efforts in assisting Alcatel to obtain the contract. The indictment further alleges that Sapsizian was aware that the ICE official intended to share the corrupt payments with the senior government official.

Alcatel was awarded a mobile telephone contract in August 2001, which was valued at $149 million. According to the indictment, Sapsizian authorized one of Alcatel’s Costa Rican consulting firms to funnel the payments to the ICE official. Sapsizian is charged with conspiring to launder money for allegedly causing Alcatel CIT to wire $14 million in “commission” payments to the consultant.

The consultant, in turn, wire transferred $2.5 million to the ICE official. Thus, Sapsizian is charged with eight counts of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for allegedly causing those payments to the ICE official.

The conspiracy and corrupt practices charges each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The money laundering charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

This case is being prosecuted by Deputy Chief Mark F. Mendelsohn and trial attorney Mary K. Dimke of the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, Washington.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Costa Rican Fiscal General Francisco Dall’Anesse and his office provided substantial assistance to this investigation, said the federal government.

Investigations in Costa Rica have revealed that the member of the ICE board of directors who dealt with Sapsizian was José Antonio Lobo. Lobo has said that he gave some of the Alcatel money to then-president Miguel Ángel Rodríguez and also transferred some to a company controlled by Rodríguez and his wife in the United States.

However, neither Lobo nor Rodríguez were mentioned by name in the U.S. grand jury indictment.

Rodríguez surrendered his job as secretary general of the Organization of American States to return to Costa Rica when the allegations came out, but Dall'Anesse had him jailed. Rodríguez subsequently has written a book blaming Dall'Anesse for a miscarriage of justice.


http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:i96iLdd4s_cJ:www.amcostarica.com/010207.htm+Francisco+Dall%27Anesse+%2B+Acatel&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

[bean fidhleir]

6. "an official Costa Rican passport"

That's a little unclear - does it mean a diplo passport? It should, and in that case the migra officials put the US right outside international law (again!)

[seafan]

11. Inside Costa Rica Daily News: Top prosecutor denounces treatment in Miami

Top Prosecutor Reveals Deplorable Treatment In Miami

Saturday 26 April 2008

Costa Rica's Fiscal General (Chief Prosecutor), Francisco Dall’Anese, denounced the marked deterioration of relations between the Ministerio Público de Costa Rica and the United States Department of Justice.
Dall’Anese explained that he went to Miami to interview a man who is in possession of key information in the ICE-Alcatel fraud case that ministerio Público is investigating.
The incident occurred on Wednesday but it wasn't until Friday that the Fiscal made the situation public.

Dall’Anese said that he identified himself to U.S. officials as Costa Rican law enforcement officer and carried an official Costa Rican passport. However, Dall’Anese does not speak English and did his best to explain to US officials the reason for his visit.
Dall'anese said that while waiting in line to check in to the US, agents pulled him aside and held him for more than an hour. Although Dall'anese does not speak English, he was interviewed by a Spanish speaking immigration officer who told him he was following the orders of his superiors.

The Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Foriegn Ministry) has filed a formal protest with U.S. officials.
Dall’Anese has asked Bruno Stagno, Costa Rica's foreign minister, to bring charges against the U.S for depriving him of liberty and be reimbursed for his costs, that included an overnight stay at an airport hotel.

"For months relations (between) the Ministerio Público and the US Department of Justice have been deteriorating", Dall’Anese explained in a letter sent to Stagno, protesting his treatment.
The reason for the Dall’Anese visit to Miami was to interview the former vice-president of Alcatel Latin America, Christian Sapsizian.

"We have been talking for months of the possibility of interrogating a person who is detained in Miami related to the largest corruption case in the country and could open doors to link of the main suspected (referring to a Costa Rican politician)", said Dall’Anese.

Dall’Anese further explained that they have found many obstacles with U.S. judicial officials, including the federal prosecutor of fraud even though he had assurances, oral and in writing, that there would be collaboration between the Justice Department and the Ministerio Público.

Last night, Magda Siekiert, a press agent for the U.s. Embassy in San José. said that representatives of the Justice Department expressed their apologies to Dall’Anese.

.....

Gee, even after Bush forced his trade agreement onto Cost Ricans last fall.. :sarcasm:


The most despised administration in living memory.

[Peace Patriot]

8. Costa Rica's going to find out what playing "free trade" footsie with Bushites is all about.

Now that the Bushites got what they wanted--and the political establishment of Costa Rica got its palms greased in the process--the Bushites kick 'em in their sovereignty. Costa Rica is going to bitterly regret CAFTA, because that's what "free trade" MEANS to Bushites and their global corporate predator pals: lack of respect, kicking people around, bullying, spitting on the law, looting!

[Toucano]

12. Costa Rica is the only country in the world to have held a public referendum

on a free trade agreement.

The people narrowly approved it, but there was so much intimidation and coercion.

[ogsbee]

9. This is a weird one (as well as despicable)

Do we now have a split in the U.S. government, it seems this foreign official was invited by a wing of the government? Do we have governmental entities (I.C.E., TSA and Homeland Security) that openly act unlawfully -- following the direction of what and whom? Are they the Gestapo and above the law?

Of course, one can never forget TSA repeatedly targetting Edward Kennedy and John Lewis as possible terrorists. Could they really be that stupid or is this a "reach out and touch" moment for the same forces?

[Toucano]

13. AP finally picks it up.

Costa Rica protests US airport security

By MARIANELA JIMENEZ – 4 hours ago

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Costa Rica has suspended legal cooperation with the United States and filed a diplomatic protest over what it called the "disrespectful" treatment of its attorney general at the Miami International Airport.

In a letter describing the incident, Attorney General Francisco Dall'Anese said a security officer at the airport allowed him into the United States on April 23, but accompanied him to an airline counter to make sure he arranged a return flight for the next day.

The official was traveling to meet his U.S. counterpart, Attorney General Michael Mukasey, and to attend a court hearing involving a man implicated in a corruption scandal in Costa Rica.

He said that after the check, a U.S. agent accompanied him to airline offices "to make sure of our departure."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hHQ_OO-s5YZvXpEhSuOrB3_aGpsAD909PO1O0

[arcos]

17. Interesting that Dall'Anese is called "attorney general"...

Most of the international media has avoid the title, because it is not 100% the same as the US Attorney General.

[bluesmail]

14. recommended

[bluesmail]

15. Worldwide Corporate corruption seems to have peaked

after the Florida Junta, 2000. Most Costa Ricans are not for CAFTA.

[arcos]

18. Sadly they are...

However, they have been manipulated by the mass media who is 100% pro-CAFTA.

In fact, they have "forced" the opposition to basically surrender, using the same playbook as the US Democrats. It is kind of sad to see history repeat itself in a geographically different place, but at least we have clues on what to do next.

[crimsonblue]

16. TSA or whoever else detained him better hope to God he didn't have diplomatic immunity.

If he did, then there will be outright HELL to pay from other countries. We are not legally allowed to detain diplomatic agents from other countries, and even if we could it sets terrible precedence for ourselves. Do we really expect our open-world travel privileges to continue when we keep treating every traveler in and out of this country like a terrorist? September 11th was a tragic event, but it was also 19 (or so) isolated crazies.. There are more than 2 millions travelers by air a day... It is practically and feasably IMPOSSIBLE to have a 100% effective system without spending so much as to make travel impractical.

[Toucano]

19. Some airlines actively advertise their routes that bypass the U.S.

Travelers are willing to pay a premium to avoid it.