Lighter Side of the Costa Rica News – The Ministro de Hacienda (Finance minister), Edgar Ayales, had to borrow to buy a “couple of kilos” of jocotes and guayabes from a vendor in front of the Finance ministry building in downtown San José.
According to La Teja, it appears the minister is not only tight with the State’s purse strings, but with his own wallet.
As the story goes, the vendor rounded out the cost of the fruits to ¢2.000 colones, but when the Minister opened his wallet to pay, it was empty!
Without missing a step, Ayales turned to his aide, who happened to be with the minister at the time, for a loan.
Hey, isn’t that is what Ayales does upstairs, in his office, all day long. No?
“Diay, when he opened his wallet to pay me he had no money”, fruit vendor Oscar Alcides Román told La Teja.
Don Oscar has had his fruit stand in San José for the last 18 years. The vendor said he remained calm when he saw his good customer with an empty wallet. Ayales is always buying fruit from Don Oscar.
So, what happened? Why was the man who controls the country’s finances was without any cash on him? A logical explanation is that he is used to using plastic all the time. The financial world wants us to use plastic and the minister is showing his good discipline.
Don Oscar told La Teja he thinks well of his good customer Ayales and would easily spot him (give credit) to the minister without a blink of an eye.
The vendor says his stand that has been frequented by at least five Finance ministers over the years, has allowed him to raise four children and live a good life.
What we don’t know is if Ayales ever paid back his aide and if so, with or without interest.