Costa Rica Shark Finning Bribe? Taiwan Donation Ends Up in Arias Foundation

Costa Rica News – We all know that corruption, bribes, and misappropriation of funds occurs at the highest levels of government throughout the world, I would just thought that they would try to hide it better.  I know I am not the only one that can put these 2 things together, right? the worst part is they are playing both sides, the shark finners and Sir Richard Branson and the environmental groups for money now.

The Public Ministry is investigating whether $ 1 million that was part of a grant from the Government of Taiwan to Costa Rica for housing projects and never entered the public purse, finished Arias Foundation accounts. If it did the money is long gone by now and there will not be any accountability.

The investigation was initiated as part of a court case against the former Minister of Housing Fernando Zumbado for misappropriating  a portion of the funds donated by Taiwan.

In a second case, the prosecution investigates why, even though there is a trust agreement detailing a transfer of $ 2,488,500 from Taiwan to the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) to run in the Housing Ministry, that the ministry only received 60% of the money.

In 2007, when Taiwan was to turn the rest of the money (about $ 1 million), as requested Zumbado, but the money did not reach the housing portfolio.

On January 15 of that year, the Arias Foundation received a donation of $ 1 million from the Government of Taiwan. That is the gift that the prosecution is investigating.

The government of Costa Rica has no desire to stop shark finning in its waters and the bill to prohibit shark finning was just smoke and mirrors to appease the tourist industry.  This $1 million was a bribe from Taiwan to continue to allow them to take shark fins from the Costa Rica waters.

Laura Chinchilla, the hand puppet of Arias, has continued the shark fin tradition in Costa Rica.  Let’s go through the reasons Chichilla will not stop shark finning:

• She will continue to allow shark fins from Nicaragua to be shipped to China through Costa Rican ports. This will of course allow for shark fins taken in Costa Rican waters to be smuggled through with the Nicaraguan shipments. The question needs to be asked as to why the shark fins are not being shipped directly from Nicaraguan ports? The answer is that Costa Ricans are heavily involved in this trade of fins from Nicaragua and the shark fin industry of both countries is linked.
• 400,000 sharks were slaughtered in Costa Rican waters in 2011 and Costa Rica exported some 30 tons of shark fins. This means some very well connected people are making a great deal of money and that kind of money buys influence.
• China has been investing a great deal of money in Costa Rica and China is the major market for shark fins. Chinese shark fin buyers have been very busy in Costa Rica over the last few years.
• Right now at this very moment poachers are prowling the waters off Cocos Island and the rangers do not have the resources to deal with them. The Coast Guard makes token arrests but very little enforcement is actually being done.

President Chinchilla is simply trying to appease the tourism industry by creating the illusion she is getting tough on the shark fin industry. Shark fins are big business in Costa Rica and one of the reasons there has been very little outcry from the shark fishing industry over this “decision” is because they know it will continue to be business as usual.

Sir Richard Branson is now thinking of opening his checkbook to this Costa Rica government scam. Do not fall for the lies!