COSTA RICA NEWS — A total of 24 officials of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) and the Ministerio Público (prosecutor’s office) were found spying on Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas and several members of his family.
The director of the OIJ, the federal police agency akin to the FBI in the United States, Francico Segura, confirmed that four of his agents, plus twenty Fiscales (prosecutors) accessed the Plataforma de Información Policial (Police Information System), investigating and spying on the lives of Navas and his close family.
Segura says that it was all done without authorization or justification.
The OIJ director says that a total of 51 searches were logged in to the system “between July and August of this year”. The officials were from offices in Alajuela, Puntarenas, Heredia, Cartago and de Tres Ríos.
“Agents are allowed only to access the (police information) system in the course of a police investigation … this is a serious offense that can to suspensions upwards of 15 days,” Segura said.
“We have no reason to investigate Keylor,” confirmed Segura, who said according to him, as director of the OIJ, this has no justification.
“If were up to me I would fire (to agents who spied on Keylor Navas), the problem is that it is not within my powers (…) If it had been up to me, that same Friday I would have given them their walking papers,” Segura said publicly on Wednesday,
At the Ministerio Publico, the Fiscal General, Jorge Chavarría, ordered a disciplinary investigation against the prosecutors accessing the Police Information System querying information on Navas and his family. The officials remain in office while the investigation continues.
“The Fiscal General assures that the investigation will dig deep and does not rule our criminal charges,” said Tatiana Vargas, spokesperson for the Ministerio Publico.
Meanwhile, the country’s politicians are calling on the resignation of Segura and Chavarría. Leading the bandwagon is legislator Franklin Corella, who says that “this” (espionage) has already happened in many cases, including “favouritism” in judicial proceedings.
If you will recall, Navas as the star goalie in the FIFA Wold Cup 2014 in Brazil, leading the Ticos to an unprecedented record. Navas is currently playing for the Spanish club Real Madrid and the Costa Rica national football team.
