|
 |
Your daily |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica Second newspage |
 |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
|
|
|||||||||
 |
| Costa Rica Expertise Ltd http://crexpertise.com E-mail info@crexpertise.com Tel:506-256-8585 Fax:506-256-7575 |
 Click HERE
for great
hotel discounts
|
|
misstated facts over theft By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Two U.S. expats have a theft story considerably less glowing than the account released officially over the weekend by the security ministry. The ministry report, published in A.M. Costa Rica Monday, said that quick action by the Policía Turística resulted in the arrest of three theft suspects and the recovery of $10,300. But the couple, Philip Hemion, a Heredia English teacher, and Melissa Grace, a yoga instructor in Jacó, said they would not carry that amount of cash in their vehicle when they went to the beach. Instead, they saw three persons break into their vehicle at Playa Hermosa and take clothes, other items and, at best, $400 in rent money. The Ministerio de Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública said that officers responded to the pair's emergency call and apprehended the three suspects in Jacó. Hemion said that police were on the lookout for the vehicle and the trio anyway due to previous theft reports. Hemion said that the thieves leveled death threats at him when they drove away after being released the following day, Sunday. The ministry said that the two men involved were Colombians with the status of refugees. The woman suspect was a 21-year-old Costa Rican. A ministry press release Sunday gave the impression that the suspects were being held. Ms. Grace said she suspected that the police grossly inflated the amount involved to make themselves look good. Hemion said that police probably added up the value of stolen items and added a zero. He also was angry that Judicial Investigating Organization agents would not let him search the suspect's car more fully Sunday. He said that some clothes and a woman's bag were taken. Stolen were an I-pod, a wallet, the money, a cell phone, identification, keys and other personal cosmetic items. That all happened at Playa Hermosa Saturday. Police found the clothes and the bag in the suspects' vehicle, but they failed to locate the jewelry, money, and a chip for the cell phone. So no money was returned to the couple, despite what the press release reported, Hemion said. Ms. Grace said that the vehicle was parked at the Fuerza Pública delegación overnight in Jacó and that it appeared someone had entered the vehicle because the windows were down. Hemion said he wanted to do more than conduct a cursory search of the vehicle, a red Geo Tracker. Hemion also said he was unhappy that he and Ms. Grace had to sit in the police station for five hours while the case was sorted out. Both speak Spanish, and both made the allegation that Fuerza Pública officers made sexually harassing comments and touched Ms. Grace while she waited at the station. Hemion also said that the Judicial Investigating Organization agent took no action when the death threats were leveled and the suspects drove away. The official ministry account also was published by Spanish-language newspapers. It was sent via e-mail and FAX to newspapers Sunday. Ms. Grace said that if the pair were tourists and not residents they would have been unaware of the glowing but incorrect ministry press release. This is not the first time in the last month that the ministry overstated a case. Two weeks ago the ministry reported the arrest of a U.S. tourist and characterized him as a pedophile who was involved with a 16-year-old girl. After the man spent a night in jail, and was threatened with five years in prison, investigators realized that the woman was 22 and apparently involved in a domestic dispute with the man. The U.S. citizen was let go quietly without any notice via a press release. Our reader's opinion
Institute is not the sameas School of the Americas Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Your article today about Minister Berrocal and the delegation to the U.S. had a couple of minor errors in fact about the institute, so I thought I would offer a correction of those. First, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation was created by a U.S. law (signed by President Clinton in 2000), and replaced the Army's School of the Americas. WHINSEC is a successor institution, but not 'formerly.' (Minor point I know, and the institute is similar, but legally a different organization.) Also, Director Navarro is here not as a student but as part of our faculty. At any given time, one-third to two-fifths of our faculty is made up of individuals from allied nations in the Organization of American States. These are not only Latin American, but also Caribbean, and include military, police and civilian personnel. Lee A. Rials
public affairs officer Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation Fort Benning, Georgia
|
 |
 |
|
on our real estate page HERE! |
 |
| A.M. Costa Rica third newspage |
 |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
|
|
|||||||||
 |
 |
| An
A.M. Costa Rica guest editorial A former banker comments on the banks in Costa Rica |
|
|
By Simon Shaw*
Special to A.M. Costa Rica After reading the letter from Mr. Phillip Christian, I came to the conclusion that Banco National should be avoided at all costs because it is not a safe place to put your money. In fact, I and many of my business contacts have doubts about many of the banks in Costa Rica. Getting back to Banco National, if there was only one reported incident of theft it could be ignored. However, there are just too many reported cases showing up in the press, and I expect there are many more that are never published. In addition to reported cases, I know of three others where amounts up to US$22,000 have disappeared from accounts at Banco National, and the thefts are not restricted to non-Costa Ricans. As an ex-banker, I find it very disturbing and suspicious that money is being stolen from inside the country's National Bank. At best, the bank’s policies and procedures must be faulty or, as I expect, not adhered to. However, it appears that either hackers have breached the online security system or, as I expect, this is an inside job which would have to involve more then one person. It is all too convenient for the bank to blame their customers for being so stupid to give up their login name and password. Mr. Christian and the people I know are too smart, computer and business savvy to go around publishing their access information. Even if one used their debit card and the number was stolen, it would only allow for purchases and cash withdrawals and not provide sufficient information to transfer funds to other accounts, as has been the case in many of the thefts. It is also interesting that amounts that should trigger ‘red flags’, as they are in excess of the bank’s daily limit, are not stopped or at least confirmed with the customer. I also do not understand why the bank’s insurance does not repay the customers within a few weeks and why it takes a minimum of 30 days and usually considerably longer to correct issues such as bank errors, bank machine problems and credit card issues, which take most banks in other countries a week or two to remedy. I used to pay my utility bills online, however as it turned out, my bank, Cuscatlan, was not making/reporting my payments to AyA. When I found out, I documented the problem and provided all the information to the bank. For |
the
first 10 minutes their response was to blame me — Surprise! But
when I pointed to the paper audit trail which confirmed
it was a bank error, they started an investigation. Three months
later
and I am still waiting for a refund. Globally is seems that a bank is only as good as its people, so if you are lucky to work with a good banker, you should be a happy customer. A good banker is hard to find! Poor banking is not restricted to just Costa Rican banks. Since the world’s banks were forced into becoming money police by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the U.S. Government, chasing its citizens for taxes, the level of service has plummeted. The reason I do not address terrorism is that the process started years before 9/11. Talking of terrorism, I was recently in Canada and wanted to change US$150 into Canadian funds, so I walked into the Bank of Montreal and made my request. I was told that the bank’s rules would not allow me, a non-bank client, to exchange more then US100 because of money laundering concerns. So I walked next door to the CIBC to change my remaining US$50 and, yes, the CIBC also had the same regulation. In this day and age, it is astounding that exchanging a paltry amount such as US$150 into Canadian dollars would trigger money laundering issues. BIG BROTHER’S GRIP IS BECOMING VERY TIGHT! In my experience, the banks in Panama like those in Costa Rica have no idea of customer’s service and getting them to do simple tasks such as answering a phone call or a wire transfer carries a 50 percent chance of not happening. It seems to me that since leaving the banking world 27 years ago, that knowledge and service has evaporated. In Costa Rica and Panama, employees are very poorly trained, and I often find that I have to tell them how to do their job. Good banks in Costa Rica used to be Bantec, Interfin and Cuscatlan. However, Bantec closed and Interfin and Cuscatlan have been taken over with disastrous outcomes for the customer. It seems to me the only banks in Costa Rica that provide good service are, in order of preference, Banco Improsa and Banco de Costa Rica. Since I receive services from companies in the U.S.A. which will not accept non U.S. credit cards, I maintain a bank account in the U.S., and I am surprised to report that their customer services are outstanding. In fact, they phoned me last week to ask what I thought of their service and to thank me for being a customer — I am still in shock! *Simon Shaw is from Escazú. |
| Dall'Anese
gets four more years as nation's chief prosecutor |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Francisco Dall'Anese won re-election Monday as the nation's chief prosecutor. A 15-7 vote of the magistrates of the Corte Suprema gave him four more years on the job. As fiscal general or chief prosecutor, Dall'Anese is responsible for the prosecution of crimes by his subordinantes. And he is responsible for setting policy. There were no other announced candidates for the job, and Dall'Anese answered questions from the assembled magistrates for nearly two hours before the secret vote. |
Dall'Anese has been quick to blame
judges for the slow-moving justice
system in Costa Rica, and he appears to have the support of most of the
fiscals or lower-level prosecutors. Many of them were serving temporary
terms when Dall'Anese took over, and he gave them permanent positions. Magistrates could not fail to take notice that several major trials are either in progress or soon to reach the courtroom. One case in progress is that of the murder of radio commentary Parmenio Medina Pérez. Two former presidents are expected to stand trial on bribery allegations in the coming year. |
|
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
| A.M. Costa Rica fourth news page |
 |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
|
|
|||||||||
| Beautiful property where air is clear — above 3,000
feet www.VistasDeSarchi.com |
| Chávez
constitutional reforms include six-hour work day |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez has accused anti-government demonstrators of using violence to oppose his efforts to change the constitution. Opponents say the president is using the reforms to further his hold on power. President Chávez led pro-government marches through Caracas Sunday to rally support for the planned constitutional changes that include ending term limits on the presidency. Chávez told supporters that the changes will give more power to the people, and help expand what he calls his 21st century socialist revolution. The rallies are seen as a response to several days of protests by university students and government critics, who accuse the president of seeking a stronger hold on power. At least one person was killed in clashes between protesters and police in western Zulia state. In the rally Sunday, Chávez accused protest organizers of trying to provoke violence and political upheaval, and he said officials may ban student marches planned in coming days and weeks. He also issued a message to the nation's upper class and to the leaders of an alleged plot against him. Chávez said he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, whom he quoted as saying "in a true revolution, you either win or you die." |
Venezuela's national assembly agreed
to the president's nearly 70-point reform plan last week, which now
will be sent for a
referendum in December. If approved, the measures would shorten the
official work day to six hours, allow the government to seize private
property without court approval and grant new powers to authorities
during a state of emergency. Some critics say the reform plan is too complex to be put to a single vote. Political science professor Anibal Romero of Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas, says recent polls show that a fraction of Venezuelan voters understand the changes. And, he says, the government is using populist initiatives, such as the six-hour work day, to generate support for the entire reform package. Romero says it may be true that most people want to work only six hours a day, and that is what the government is promoting. But he says the real goal of the reform is to allow President Chávez to serve indefinitely. The president's former defense minister, Raul Baduel, spoke out against the reform bid Monday, saying it amounted to a coup d'etat that would violate the constitution. Human rights groups and the Catholic Church in Venezuela also reject the reform plan. Since taking office in 1999, Chávez has won a series of ballot initiatives, mainly thanks to strong support among the nation's poor communities. |
| Citigroup
fires top management over gigantic loan losses |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Shares of Citigroup, the biggest U.S .bank, dropped 5 percent Monday after the company dismissed its top management and revealed much bigger than expected losses from bad mortgage loans. Citigroup has a presence in Costa Rica. New York-based Citigroup revealed that its losses stemming from sub-prime mortgage loans may be as large as $11 billion. Third quarter earnings were also reduced and there are fears that the bank could incur more losses in the current fourth quarter. Al Goldman, an analyst at St. Louis-based AG Edwards brokerage, says Citigroup's problems are a big drag on the U.S. stock market. "It's almost as if the bad news reached a crescendo today when it finally gets around to a capitulation in management at Citi and the announcement of another major, major write off. So, we'll see," said Goldman. Citigroup's board of directors met over the weekend and |
accepted the
resignation of company chief executive officer Charles Prince. Last
month another major financial services company, Merrill Lynch, fired
its chief executive because of previously undisclosed losses associated
with sub-prime loans. The two institutions had been major purchasers of sub-prime loans, which were then packaged together and traded as derivative products (called collateralized debt obligations). The sub-prime problems surfaced in August when many poor credit risk American families were failing to make their monthly payments on mortgage loans. Tens of thousands of prospective homebuyers were encouraged by low interest rates and lenders to buy homes that they couldn't afford. Citigroup was the first foreign bank to establish operations in Costa Rica in 1968, according to the company. In 2006 Citigroup announced the acquisition of Banco Uno and its credit card operations. |
| We can put your business announcement
here where those seeking international news will see it |
|
| News from
the BBC up to the minute |
BBC sports news up to the minute |
| BBC news and sports feeds are disabled on archived editions. |
|
|
| A.M. Costa Rica Sports news local and from the wires |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
|
|
