QCOSTARICA – Lucía D’Ambrosio, representative of the Interoceanic Dry Canal (Cansec), on Wednesday, as expected, retracted her statements given last week to the Legislative Commission on Infrastructure, that former President Carlos Alvarado and former Minister of the Ministry of Public Works (MOPT), Rodolfo Méndez Mata, solicited a bribe in exchange for giving an endorsement to the project.
Named by D’Ambrosio is former legislator Pablo Heriberto Abarca, who was alleged to have been the go-between the former president and former minister and the president of the Cansec.
Before the commission, D’Ambrosio assured she was being asked for a ‘gift’ of US$160 million in exchange for providing the authorization to the dry channel from the Pacific coast to the Caribbean Sea.
Former president Alvarado responded immediately on his social networks, rejecting “categorically the lies told before a Legislative Commission by representatives of the Interoceanic Green Canal project of Costa Rica.”
Méndez and Abarca also rejected the statements and along with Alavrado threatened to take immediate legal action to criminally denounce the falsehood.
D’Ambrosio apologized publicly, adding that her words were misrepresented.
D’Ambrosio emphasized that she made the statements “in the heat of the moment” and that she was nervous.
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On Monday, the Attorney General’s Office received a complaint from Frente Amplio (FA) legislator Antonio Ortega Gutiérrez to investigate these events. The complaint also named Costa Rica’s Vice-President, Stephan Brunner, and the current MOPT minister, Luis Amador.
