|
    - Photo via Judicial Investigation Organization -
|
||
 You
Might
Also Like    
     |
Published on Wednesday, March 6, 2024
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Four
women who allegedly were fake Catholic
faith nuns were arrested by Judicial
Investigation Organization agents on
Tuesday. They are suspected of
engaging in human trafficking, labor
exploitation and servitude, torture,
embezzlement and money laundering. The
National Children's Trust has given
the organization more than $9 million
since 2020. The
suspects, who were female, were
identified by the authorities as
Quiros (39), Hidalgo (52) Rodriguez
(54) and Villalobos (44). They all
supposedly pretended to be Catholic
nuns and leaders for an organization
whose aim was to assist elderly
people, orphaned children, and
immigrants. According
to the case information, the suspects
wore robes and scarf that resembled
the apostolnik, or traditional
Catholic nun habit. They behaved as
though they were living a life of
vows, giving themselves over to
religious service and participating in
a rigorous regimen of prayer and
charity. Along
with the four female suspects, a
52-year-old foundation member surnamed
Granados was also taken into custody. During
multiple raids conducted at the
suspects' residences and the
organization headquarters in the
provinces of Alajuela and Cartago,
five people were taken into custody. The
operation also included the
coordination of providing specialized
care for people who were accommodated
in the foundation, 79 children and 80
elderly individuals who suffer from a
terminal disease or have physical
disabilities. These
patients were driven in ambulances to
three public hospitals: the National
Children's Hospital in San José; and
the main hospitals in the provinces of
Cartago and Alajuela. The victims will
keep receiving medical care in these
hospitals.
Even though the defendants are not government employees, the prosecutor's office stated that since the organization received funding from the State, the suspects are nonetheless subject to the same public employee laws. Operating as a non-profit, the charity assists individuals with unique physical and intellectual needs. Nonetheless, these individuals are under criminal investigation because it seems they have committed corruption charges to misappropriate and steal public funds. The inquiry claims that the accused paid for their trips and real estate purchases with donations from the government. Allegedly, the suspects attempted to legitimize the money's use through the accounting record, even though they knew these funds were being used illegally. The suspected acts of torture against the elderly and children in the suspects' care are the subject of a second section of the investigation. Since the victims were taken care of by people who worked as nurses and doctors. It is alleged that medical staff led these people to suffer from a decline in their bodily integrity and health. The prosecutor further stated that these staff lacked the requisite training in medicine or nursing. Another area of investigation is the possibility of labor exploitation against individuals who were employed by the organization. The accused willfully signed fraudulent labor agreements, neglected to pay workers' salaries, and disregarded additional benefits including paid time off and overtime. When the founders of this organization were brought into custody, the National Children's Trust, an organization that strives to guarantee that the rights of children and adolescents are upheld, took control of the foundation. Professionals from the National Council of People with Disabilities will continue to provide care for elderly or physically disabled individuals who were also housed in the foundation. The suspects, who were charged with offenses including corruption, fraud, abuse of minors, human trafficking, and smuggling of migrants, were taken to the Public Ministry and imprisoned as they awaited a judge's decision regarding the pre-trial procedures. The operation involved agents from three prosecutor's offices: the Office for Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, the Office for Attention to Acts of Violence against Children, and the Anti-Corruption Office.
---------------
            |
|
|