SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — On Monday, Costa Rican prosecutors leveled accusations against President Rodrigo Chaves, along with the vice president, the foreign affairs minister, and four members of parliament from Chaves’ political faction, alleging illegal funding practices during the 2022 campaign that saw Chaves ascend to the presidency.
The Attorney General’s Office declared that there had been a request made to the nation’s Supreme Court to consider removing President Chaves’ immunity, which currently shields him from legal proceedings.
Accusations brought forward by the prosecutors suggest that Chaves and his associates utilized private financing channels and personal bank accounts to boost the electoral campaign of Chaves’ Social Democratic Progress Party.
Efforts to obtain comments from the president’s office have so far been met with silence.
Accused parties also include Vice President Stephan Brunner, Foreign Affairs Minister Arnoldo André, and legislators Pilar Cisneros, Luz Mary Alpízar, Paola Nájera, and Waldo Agüero.
“Both financing paths circumvented the control mechanisms outlined by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal as well as the party’s financial oversight protocols,” prosecutors indicated in their declaration. This alleged circumvention has been framed as a violation of the lawful and transparent principles essential to campaign financing, undermining the integrity of the electoral framework.
Whether the involved politicians will face legal proceedings is contingent upon the Supreme Court’s decision on suspending their legal immunity.