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A.M. Costa Rica third newspage
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San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, March 6, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 46

Claim of blackmail try shakes up Oswaldo Villalobos trial

By Dennis Rogers
A.M. Costa Rica special correspondent

Charges of attempted blackmail shook the somnolent atmosphere of the Oswaldo Villalobos trial Monday, as a new player appeared on the scene. The prosecution reported that it had been given new information by an Austrian who had been in prison.

The defense responded that an anonymous caller had threatened to turn over documents if he was not given a financial settlement.

Defense lawyer Alexander Ruíz reported he had a phone call at his home Thursday night, in which the caller said “I have information of interest to Oswaldo. I want Oswaldo to sit down and talk with me.”

Ruíz said when he asked the man to identify himself, the man said “My name doesn’t matter. What matters is this document,” and then gave a deadline of noon Friday. Ruíz said that the defense was not interested and the deadline passed.

Prosecutor Ilem Meléndez had details from her interview of her informant, who may or may not be the same individual as the caller. He hadn’t come forward because the Villalobos brothers were working with him on a settlement over the money he had invested (reported as more than a million dollars), and Luis Enrique Villalobos had even visited him in jail, she said. The man had received a partial payment of $275,000 deposited in European banks, she said.

Judges Isabel Porras, Carlos Pérez, and Manuel Rojas met Monday afternoon to consider the new evidence and will announce this morning whether to let the Austrian testify.

Earlier witnesses continued the pattern firmly established at this point in the trial. Italian Pierro Alterio, and Costa Ricans Fabio Trecovich, Aura Pérez, and Jeanette Campos all had invested relatively modest sums, but had suffered seriously from the loss, they said. Ms. Campos related that she had put in $11,000 of her own money, but at the time was caring for a North American who was suffering from emphysema, and who had in excess of $380,000 invested. The man died in 2003 after the investment operation shut down, she said. “I think that’s what killed him,” stated Ms. Campos.

A full hour in the afternoon was dedicated to testimony through an interpreter by the family of French-Canadian Gonzague Chatigny. He did not take the stand himself, but his daughter Katia, his wife, Monique, and his brother Pierre testified. Katia Chatigny was questioned little more than five minutes with neither defense nor prosecution interested.

Monique Chatigny gave more detail, and spent time at a whiteboard to describe the layout of the Mall San Pedro offices in detail. Pierre reported he had sent bank transfers and a check to Enrique Villalobos as early as 1996, and did withdraw $7,000 on one occasion.

As Prosecutor Meléndez’ questions drifted towards the offices again, the judges exchanged exasperated looks and both sides quickly concluded.

The prosecution is trying to show that Oswaldo Villalobos's Ofinter S.A. money exchange operation was linked to the high-interest investment operation run by Luis Enrique Villalobos, who is a fugitive.

The defense has reduced its list of witnesses from 57 to 11 and may finish this week.

Cuban American involved in an $11 million fraud case captured in Atenas

Ministerio de Gobernación, Policía
y Seguridad Pública photo

Gianni Vazquez Suarez in custody Monday morning

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Investigators caught up with a Cuban American Monday. The man had been living at least part time in Costa Rica since at least 2004.

He is sought in an $11 million medical scam in the Miami area, according to arresting officers. The man was identified as Gianni Vazquez Suarez. He was detained at a mechanic's shop in Barrio San José in Atenas. The man has lived in Atenas, Escazú, San Pedro and Sabanilla. The arrest was made by the Fuerza Pública and agents of the Dirección de Inteligencia y Seguridad/INTERPOL.

Vazquez was carrying a .38 pistol at the time of his arrest, but there was no violence, officials said. He is facing specific charges of money laundering and fraud that have been lodged by the U.S. F.B.I.

The detention order was issued by a San José court, but information from the United States said that in 2003 and 2004 Vazquez used different identities to obtain reimbursements for medical services supposedly provided by his companies that provided medical supplies.

The man was very cautious with his movement here, officials said, and only used possessions like cell phones and vehicles that were in the name of others.

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San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, March 6, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 46

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Bush prefaces trip with aid and cash for Latin America

By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
and special reports

U.S. President George Bush is expanding U.S. aid for education, health care, housing and other programs for Latin America. The announcement came just three days before the president is scheduled to make a five-nation tour of the region.

The president's message is simple: the United States has not forgotten its neighbors to the south. He said, "The working poor of Latin America need change and the United States of America is committed to that change."

Administration officials say they are well aware U.S. efforts in the region have been overshadowed by developments elsewhere in the world. They say they understand why some in Latin America feel they have been ignored and strenuously argue that is not the case.

In a Washington speech to a group of Hispanic business leaders, Bush said he remains committed to bolstering democracies in the region, and helping them serve the poor. He said despite economic gains throughout the hemisphere, too many people remain mired in poverty.

"Nearly one out of four people in Latin America live on less than two dollars a day," he said. "Many children never finish grade school. Many mothers never see a doctor. In an age of growing prosperity and abundance, this is a scandal and a challenge."

Bush said the United States will provide tens of millions of dollars in additional aid in three key areas: education, health care and housing. He said new programs will be set up to help disadvantaged students, promote home ownership, and get health services to those most in need.

The initiatives announced by the president include:

• The deployment of the Comfort, a U.S. Navy hospital ship, to Belize, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname, where its staff will provide health care services for up to 100,000 patients. Military medical teams also will partner with governments in 14 Latin American countries to deliver medical services as part of 62 scheduled medical readiness training exercises.

• A new U.S.-sponsored training center will be established in Panama to increase the number of health care workers across Central America.

• An additional $75 million will be allocated over the next three years to help more Latin American students study in the United States.

White House photo by Paul Morse

George Bush acknowledges the applause of his audience after delivering a major policy address Monday on Latin America.

• The State and Treasury departments will collaborate on an initiative to extend small business loans to qualified business owners, creating new jobs across the region.

• A $385 million expansion of mortgage underwriting through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation will help make affordable housing available to families in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and other countries in the region.

• A White House conference in 2007 will gather experts from businesses and private voluntary organizations to consider new ways to address poverty in the Western Hemisphere.

"It is going to be busy," Bush said of the hospital ship. "Altogether the Comfort's doctors, nurses and health care professionals expect to treat 85,000 patients and conduct up to 1,500 surgeries," he added.

The president delivered the speech just three days before he is set to leave Washington on a week-long journey to Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and México.

Aides say he has wanted to make the trip for some time to highlight his commitment to the region, and they note that his schedule includes numerous visits to facilities that are trying to make a difference in the lives of the poor and the disenfranchised.

This is Bush's most extensive trip to Latin America since taking office in January 2001. And it comes at a time when Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is trying to galvanize anti-U.S. sentiment in the region.

European Union diplomats wrestle with their decision on carbon emissions

By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso says the cost of combating global warming is far less than the cost of doing nothing.

Barroso spoke in Brussels Monday, where European Union diplomats are debating sharp cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, which many scientists believe are causing the Earth's climate to get warmer.

Barroso said he understands the cost to economies of

capping emissions, but, he adds, not tackling the problem will cost economies more in the future. Barroso said that other countries, including the United States, are watching to see what Europe does on this issue.

European Union environmental ministers agreed in principle last month to cut carbon emissions from cars and factories by as much as 20 percent by 2020.

EU leaders will vote on the plan at a summit later this week. Some believe the plan is too expensive and are seeking a compromise

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