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The Gandoca-Manzanillo National Refuge has made headlines in recent weeks.The Constitutional Court’s ruling, which has not yet been implemented; investigations, raids and statements by the Public Ministry; and the arrests of acquaintances of President Rodrigo Chavez are just some of the many ingredients in this information mix.
In the larger picture, the circumstances of this case include A series of apparent irregularities and institutional failures have left 188 hectares of forest heritage unprotectedincluding wetlands, benefiting people and society at home and abroad.
Apart from, A specific case raised alleged irregularities in the issuance of tree-cutting permits for neighbors of President Chavezwhose family owns a farm that was used for campaign events and two social gatherings of government officials in late 2022, including The “Dance” of the Cabinet and its partners, He later became Minister of Communications and is currently Minister of Culture, according to information leaked by Jorge Rodríguez Vives, then Chief of Staff of the President.
The businessman involved in the case is Allan Pacheco Dent, 57, the legal representative of Playa Manzanillo SA, who was arrested by judicial authorities on July 16, along with other suspects.
EF This paper summarizes some of the main events in the case to date.
Logging
July 16 last year Several raids were carried out across the country and orders were issued for the arrest of Pacheco Dent.and an official of the National System of Protected Areas (Sinac) and administrator of the Gandoca-Manzanillo Reserve, are working on cases of alleged crimes such as prevarication, affecting public finances, changing the use of soil, ideological falsehood and the use of false documents.
Earlier, on May 21, Raids have been carried out in Talamanca and other places in connection with the same case..
Apparently, the judicial authorities reported through their press office that A series of irregularities led to the issuance of forestry exploitation licenses that favored businessmen.in particular Playa Manzanillo SA
also, Efforts should be made to change land use in forest and wetland areas to develop urban infrastructureincluding routes into the ocean-land area.
One day after the first three were arrested, Two others were confirmed: another Sinac official and a forest rangerwho also participated in the activities under investigation.
In addition to the legal proceedings, environmental groups and residents in the area have released videos of timber extraction in recent months.
The case attracted public attention because Dent, the businessman who apparently benefited in an improper way, had a relationship with President Chavez.. compulsory Acknowledged at a press conferenceon July 19 this year, What The businessman “lived (…) or lived” next to his house, “actually next door”; In the same act he expresses “If they find any violations in the permits,” “justice must continue.”.
In recent weeks, the skeptical stance on the legality of these actions has changed, as Chavez and his environment minister, Franz Tattenbach, have previously been staunch defenders of good institutional action when faced with questions about timber harvesting activities in the region.
At a press conference on May 15, Tattenbach read information from the La Amistad-Caribbean Conservation Area, which he said explained the legality of the procedures for exploiting forest resources.
When the logging permit was allocated, the 3.5-hectare farm was to be classified as “non-forested agricultural land,” but the prosecutor’s office suspected the land was actually forested, and therefore the permit’s origins were flawed.
Pacheco Dent’s relationship with Chávez and his government was more than just a neighborly one..
The executive used a property of the businessman’s family in San José de la Montana, Heredia, to October and December 2022announced by Frente Amplio deputy Ariel Robles and the newspaper nation.
Same location (V Entertainment Center) It is also used as a training headquarters by the Presidential Special Intervention Unit (UIE) Among other tasks, it is responsible for protecting the president. According to the government, the place is also used by other police forces such as the Public Force, although it was later Security Minister Mario Zamora refuted the claim..
According to media reports, the businessman also visited the presidential palace at least seven times between June 2022 and October 2023, including twice to President Chavez’s office. CRHoyThe president denied ever having spoken to him in that room. When asked what subjects were discussed during the meeting, he assured that this must be asked to “the people who met with him” on July 18.
Likewise, Dent was appointed by the executive branch as the exclusive representative of the private sector on the National Film Board, responsible for promoting public-private alliances in audiovisual production.
Despite these links, President Chavez dismissed any attempt to benefit Dent through apparently irregular logging permits. On July 18, he said that if he wanted to “do something weird, something dark,” the businessman only had to go to his house, not the presidential palace..
“They are accusing me because I have neighbors? We all have. That doesn’t worry me at all. They are a political group and there is absolutely no substance to the accusations, all they want is lies,” he added.
Regarding the Dent family estate that organized the party, he also said, “What allegation is there that a public employee paid for a private party to celebrate Christmas?”
Despite these explanations, the Attorney General’s Office confirmed on 13 June that it had opened an investigation into the incidents for suspected influence peddling. This is File No. 24-000041-0033-PE, against ignoring.
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Shelter Case
Pacheco Dent’s property near the Gandoca-Manzanillo refuge is One of the 137 farms that the Rural Development Institute (Inder) handed over to private hands in 2014Five years later, the Fourth Chamber declared unconstitutional a law that affected the environmental heritage of the Costa Rican State and transferred it to private hands.
The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) ordered the Institute of Rural Development (Inder) to reclaim the lands as state assets starting March 2022, but the order was never implemented.
Luis Diego Hernández, coordinator of the Agro-Environmental Deputy Attorney’s Office, nation What The case could shift state land in the southern Caribbean into private hands in the real estate market“We saw how 188 hectares of wetlands and forests would magically disappear, and the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae) didn’t seem to understand this,” he said.
The norm that allowed the transfer in 2014 was the Law on the Recognition of the Rights of Southern Caribbean Residents (9,223), promoted by Walter Céspedes, then representative of the Christian Society and now mayor of Matina.
The rule affects 188 hectares of forest area in the Gandoca-Manzanillo refuge, allowing it to be transferred to a third party in the area. Newspaper reviews nation It was determined that half of the properties awarded to private owners in 2014 had changed hands since then, with a whopping 87% still in the hands of legal entities or foreigners.although it was intended to serve the residents of the area.
The Constitutional Court also ordered the National System of Protected Areas (Sinac) to certify the natural heritage of the Talamanca Maritime and Terrestrial Area, so that the heritage is properly delineated in the regulatory plan and that activities harmful to the environment are avoided in the protected area. According to the PGR, the said directives have been violated..
“We will not destroy the national treasure of the southern coast of Limón province, but we will not leave it to the fauna either.” Human beings, Costa Ricans, have no chance to create prosperity with this.”On May 15, President Chavez responded when asked about this and complaints about unregulated logging in the southern Caribbean.
Likewise, he said he was against building a “large five-star hotel” on the site and against “leaving it to monkeys.” This is the “sustainable balance”.
At the time, there were still two months left before a judicial alert was issued regarding logging permits in the area.
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