The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, October 9, 2003

ONE FOR THE KIDS: Pacheco signs new laws to punish abusers of children.
photo/ Casa Presidencial

Reforms Stiffen Penalties
for Kidnapping, Murder
President Abel Pacheco yesterday signed a legal reform to the Criminal Code to increase jail sentences to between 5-10 years for those found guilty of abducting children and people with disabilities. Until yesterday, the penalty for kidnapping was a jail term of six months to two years.
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Farmers Prepare for New Export Regulations
During the first six months of the year, the National Agricultural Chamber and the National Production Council (CNP) helped prepare 850 small and medium agricultural producers to meet new export requirements imposed by European Union's Codes of Good Agriculture Practices (CGAPs) and the U.S. Bio-Terrorism Law -- both scheduled to go into effect at the end of the year.
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Reforms Stiffen Penalties for Kidnapping, Murder
By Tim Rogers
trogers@ticotimes.net

Donate Blood to Help Save a Life

Gisela Baardse, business manager of Humboldt School, is in critical condition and in need of Type O Negative blood. We invite people who has blood type O NEGATIVE to go to San Juan de Dios Hospital to donate blood for Gisela Baardse, or contact Stefani Glass at theGerman Embassy at 232-5533.

President Abel Pacheco yesterday signed a legal reform to the Criminal Code to increase jail sentences to between 5-10 years for those found guilty of abducting children and people with disabilities. Until yesterday, the penalty for kidnapping was a jail term of six months to two years.

The reform measure also typifies two new crimes: "aggravated kidnapping" and "qualified homicide" (the murder of a minor under 12). The new kidnapping and child murder crimes will carry jail penalties of 12-20 years and 20-35 years, respectively.

"It was embarrassing that the crime of kidnapping of a minor in Costa Rica carried a lighter prison sentence than stealing a car," Pacheco said. "It can't be this way in a civilized country.

"With respect, I am asking all judges to make valiant, exemplary and rigorous use of these new tools to sanction delinquents," Pacheco said. "The approval of this law is a concentrated expression of our commitment to defending the lives, liberty and integrity of our boys, girls and adolescents."

Pacheco thanked lawmakers for supporting the new legislation, and urged Congress to continue forward with an initiative to create a national registry of people who have committed crimes against children, a bill known as the "Kattia and Osvaldo Law" (named after two young kidnap and murder victims).

The President also urged Congress to pass a reform measure to eliminate direct international adoptions, and an initiative to criminalize the possession of child pornography.

Meanwhile, the investigation of nine suspected Guatemalan children discovered at an unregistered San José adoption agency two weeks ago took another step forward yesterday, when representatives of the Guatemalan Ombudsman's Office visited here to share information with Costa Rican authorities and visit the children in Costa Rican shelters.

A spokeswoman for the Guatemalan Ombudsman's Office said she was pleased to see the good care the children were receiving in the Costa Rican shelters, but admitted that authorities have yet to determine the identity or nationality of the children.

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Tico Judge, Prosecutor Sentenced to Jail

A Southern Zone judge and prosecutor were found guilty yesterday of prevaricato (deliberately handing down a resolution that is contrary to the law), and sentenced to prison terms of five and three years, respectively.

The Pérez Zeledón Justice Tribunal yesterday found Judge Andrés Pérez guilty of deliberately violating the law in 1999 by reducing the prison sentences of two Mexican drug traffickers from 18 years to six years. The Court also determined that Prosecutor Mainor González was an accomplice to the crime.

The court absolved two other judges accused of involvement in the crime.

Yesterday's verdict represents the first time in Costa Rica's history that a group of judges have been tried for prevaricato.

The judges had resigned from their posts in 1999 following the scandal involving the reduced sentence of the Mexican drug traffickers. Under Costa Rican law, local judges do not have the authority to reduce prison terms for international drug traffickers.
-AFP

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Farmers Prepare for New Export Regulations
By Fabián Borges
fborges@ticotimes.net

During the first six months of the year, the National Agricultural Chamber and the National Production Council (CNP) helped prepare 850 small and medium agricultural producers to meet new export requirements imposed by European Union's Codes of Good Agriculture Practices (CGAPs) and the U.S. Bio-Terrorism Law -- both scheduled to go into effect at the end of the year.

"Funded by the chamber, six CNP employees have traveled the country preparing small and medium producers to meet the new requirements," Agriculture Chamber President José Antonio Madriz explained during Tuesday's weekly Cabinet meeting. "Once these new regulations go into effect, companies that have not received the necessary certification will not be able to access export markets."

The CGAPs are a series of guidelines farmers, growers, contractors and others involved in agricultural activities must meet to export their products to the European Union. Individual producers must prove they meet these standards, meant to prevent pollution of water, air and soil, in order to receive social-environmental certificates allowing them to export.

The U.S. Bio-Terrorism Law, which will go into effect on Dec. 12, aims to protect the U.S. from the threat of unsafe and dangerous food products by granting increased funding and powers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The law will double the amount of paperwork exporters must fill out to ship their products to the United States.

Last August, a special commission was created to prepare exporters for the new regulations (TT, July 17, Aug. 19, TT Daily Page, Sept. 2).

"These new laws create additional challenges for small and medium agricultural exporters," Agriculture Minister Rodolfo Coto said. "While most large export firms have the resources necessary to prepare for the stringent new requirements, small and medium producers generally lack information and preparation -- that's where this program comes in."

During the first seven months of the year, 350 rural producers who export to Europe and 500 who export to the U.S. were trained to meet the new guidelines. An additional 1,053 exporters have been prepared to meet the Bio-Terrorism Law's requirements, Madriz said.

"Thanks to these efforts, Costa Rica has managed to turn a potential threat into an opportunity," Madriz said. "Our neighbors have not been able to prepare in the same way we have. Unfortunately, some countries will be left behind. But this creates new opportunities for Costa Rican producers."

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