The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, July 4, 2003

FIGHTING CORRUPTION: Ticos say corruption is bad, but President Pacheco given credit
for fighting it.
AFP/TT

Ticos Give Poor Marks in
Corruption Survey
The first-ever Global Corruption Barometer Survey conducted by Gallup International on behalf of Transparency International found that most Costa Ricans strongly believe corruption affects their daily lives, and are not confident that things will change for the better anytime soon.
(Click for more)

Police Bust Cocaine Network
Culminating a six-month investigation of an alleged drug-trafficking network operating south of San José, the Drug Control Police yesterday launched simultaneous raids on five homes, an auto workshop and a corner shop, arresting five people, including several minors.
(Click for more)

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July 4

Thai Massage Workshop
By María Teresa Woythaler, director of Twin Lakes College of the Healing Arts, California, Fri.-Sun., July 4-6, 8 a.m.-12, 5-9 p.m., Casa de la Cultura Alternativa Osiris, San Pedro. Info: 224-5691.

UCCR Meeting For Villalobos Investors
Sun., July 6, 10 a.m., Aurola Holiday Inn, Av. 5, Ca. 5. Info: 296-3509, 494-2295.

Ensamble Impressions
Performing works by Rochester, Persichetti, Escalante, Debussy, Salzedo and Bozza, Fri., July 4, 7:30 p.m., Eugene O'Neill Theater, C.R.-North American Cultural Center, Barrio Dent. Info: 207-7555.

Ticos Give Poor Marks in Corruption Survey
By Jon Gambrell
Tico Times Staff

The first-ever Global Corruption Barometer Survey conducted by Gallup International on behalf of Transparency International found that most Costa Ricans strongly believe corruption affects their daily lives, and are not confident that things will change for the better anytime soon.

The survey interviewed more than 40,800 people in 47 countries, polling people on how corruption affects their lives in the areas of politics, business, culture, and family.

Researchers found that 64.6 % of Ticos surveyed said that corruption strongly affects their personal and family lives, ranking Costa Rica 44th on the international index, slightly ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and Turkey.

One in three Costa Ricans said they believe corruption will increase "a lot" over the next three years, while 16.2% said it would stay the same and 24.2% said corruption would decrease.

Of those polled in the 47 participating countries, most people said that political parties were the most corrupt institution. In Costa Rica, political parties topped the corruption list with 29% of the votes.

Immigration and passport services, Customs and tax-collection rounded out the top four corruption concerns here.

Roxana Salazar, president of Transparency International Costa Rica, said the numbers were not surprising.

"For many years, Costa Rica had no corruption problems, but in the last eight years, serious corruption has been identified. People feel things aren't going well," she told The Tico Times yesterday.

Salazar claims the concerns expressed about customs and immigration mostly likely spring from the influx of Nicaraguans and Asians into Costa Rica.

However, she credited the administration of President Abel Pacheco with starting to make a difference.

"This government is working to make Costa Rica more transparent and fighting against corruption," she said.

Last year, Transparency International rated Costa Rica a 4.5 out of 10 in its annual Corruption Perception Index, the same score the country received the year before. Based upon business perceptions, Costa Rica ranked 40th out of 102 countries (TT, Aug. 30, 2002).

In this most recent index, Argentina topped all Latin American nations in terms of perceived corruption in politics (93%) and business (88%).

In Central America, Guatemala received the worst ranking for corruption in business practices, with 75.5%.

Nicaragua was absent from the report.

Colombia, meanwhile, was found to be the most optimistic country about combating corruption over the next three years. Two-thirds of Colombians interviewed said they think corruption will decrease "a little" or "a lot."

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Police Bust Cocaine Network
By Tim Rogers
trogers@ticotimes.net

Culminating a six-month investigation of an alleged drug-trafficking network operating south of San José, the Drug Control Police yesterday launched simultaneous raids on five homes, an auto workshop and a corner shop, arresting five people, including several minors.

The principal suspects, a man by the last name Barquero and a woman identified as Villalobos, were arrested in their home in Aserrí, where they lived together, according to a Security Ministry press release.

The police investigation revealed that the couple, thought to have headed the network, employed minors to act as intermediary "drug mules" between them and the buyers.

Last Saturday, drug police who were monitoring Barquero followed a 17-year-old man identified as Umaña, and detained him on suspicion that he was transporting drugs to a buyer. The young suspect was found to be carrying 100 grams of cocaine, according to police.

When Umaña was taken to the Second Circuit Court in Guadalupe for questioning, he reportedly suffered a heart attack and died. The Red Cross tried unsuccessfully to revive the suspect.

Forensic doctors are performing an autopsy to determine the cause of death, but early reports are that his attack could have been caused by ingesting cocaine in attempts to hide the drugs from police.

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Plane Crash Avoided

SANSA pilot Sergio Cabrera Wednesday morning managed a safe emergency landing and avoided a near-catastrophe after his single-engine Cessna Caravan carrying 11 passengers stalled over the Pacific Ocean, according to press reports.

The engine reportedly died shortly after the plane took off from the Drake Bay landing strip, on the southern Osa Peninsula. The plane, which was en route to San José, was forced to land on a private landing strip parallel to the Southern Highway in nearby Piñuela after gliding for several miles without an engine.

The plane suffered minor damage when the right wing hit a coconut tree and came to a stop. None of the passengers -- three Costa Ricans and eight foreigners -- was injured.

The passengers were taken from the landing site to the nearby airstrip at Palmar Sur, where they were put on another plane to San José.

SANSA is investigating to determine what caused the plane's engine to malfunction.

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