The 69 hectares of Cabuyal Beach, previously registered under the Roman Ocampo family, will once again become state and public property. This announcement was made this afternoon by the Cabuyal para todos movement, part of the Association for the Rescue of the Maritime-Terrestrial Zone (Arezomate), which has been leading the fight to reclaim these lands. The news is based on a judicial ruling from the Administrative Litigation Court No. 2024009705, issued at 1:00 p.m. this Friday, December 20.
The judges annulled the registrations of the properties in the Maritime-Terrestrial Zone (MTZ) and all actions that led to those titles, which had allowed the Roman Ocampo family to claim ownership of the land.
The Roman Ocampo family is one of the traditional families of Liberia, with many of its members being businesspeople and politicians. Currently, María Lourdes Ocampo serves as the municipal president of Liberia, and her cousin, Eugenio Román Ocampo (a former councilman for the PLN), represents civil society on the Territorial Planning Commission (spanish acronym: POT), known as Liberia’s regulatory plan.
Civil society representatives who led the fight to reclaim these beaches for public domain expressed their satisfaction with the court ruling.
This is a significant victory because this wasn’t just a win for Arezomate; this was a win for Costa Rica. Beyond the victory, it strengthens democracy, the judicial system, and is a triumph for the entire country,” Damaris Rodríguez, a representative of the association, told The Voice.
The 69 hectares were divided into two plots registered by the Roman Ocampo family, who claimed a “Real Right” over the land based on a document from 1886.
The Cabuyal case has spanned nearly 20 years. Since 2015, Arezomate has filed a lawsuit in the Administrative Litigation Court, not only against individuals and companies claiming ownership of the land but also against the Municipality of Liberia, the National Registry, and the Attorney General’s Office, pointing out that they failed to fulfill their duty to protect state-owned property.
It has been a case that began in 2005 when we started fighting in the municipality to prevent maneuvers to register these rights. Yet, despite political pressures, those maneuvers were carried out, and the rights were registered. But now, we are very happy that justice has finally been served. We have done this for Liberia and for Costa Rica,” said Guiza Pinchamski, one of the attorneys representing Arezomate in the case.
The attorney believes it is now possible they will have to face an appeal from the Roman Ocampo family.
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