The Voice of Nosara


home	regional	community	sports	entertainment	surf	nature	health		en Espa�ol	English


Archives

	December 09
	January 2010
	February 2010
	Water Edition
	March 2010
	April 2010
	May 2010
	June 2010
	July 2010
	August 2010
	September 10
	October 10
	November 10
	December 10
	January 2011
	February 2011
	March 2011
	April 2011
	May 2011
	June 2011
	July 2011
	August 2011
	September 11
	October 11
	November 11
	December 11
	January 2012
	February 2012
	March 2012
	April 2012
	May 2012
	June 2012
	July 2012
	August 2012
	September 12
	October 12
	November 12
	December 12
	January 13
	February 13
	March 13
	April 13
	May 13


Media Partners

	El Pais

	Inside Costa Rica

	Costa Spirit

	Q Costa Rica

	Today Costa Rica

	El Sabanero


connect


	FaceBook

	Twitter

CLASSIFIEDS

community

	Nosara Animal Care

	Nosara Info

	Esquelita de Nosara

	Friends of Nosara

	Nosara Civic Association

	Nosara Wildlife

INS’s 2002 Donation for Schools is Still Missing
• Donation amounted to almost ¢41 million colones
• The Asociación de Juegos Deportivos Nacionales was the organization responsible for financing

By Oliver Pérez

Nicoya’s Colegio Agropecuario and the Escuela de San Martín are still waiting for the almost ¢41 million colones donation that was made by the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) in 2002 for the improvement of their sports facilities.

The donation was made through check number 33032-9 for ¢100 million colones, which were never deposited into the Banco Nacional’s account number 013-004234-6, as it had been agreed. Instead, the money was placed in a trading post at the Bolsa Nacional de Valores. This was confirmed by report number 042-2002, which was issued by the INS’s Internal Auditing department on June 5th, 2002.

Eight years ago, the insurance company donated ¢100 million colones to Nicoya’s Asociación de Juegos Deportivos Nacionales (Association of the National Games), in order to finance the competitions that were held at the colonial city. The agreement stated that out of the total amount of the donation, ¢40,9 million colones should be assigned to the restoration of the gyms at the Liceo de Nicoya, the Colegio Técnico Agropecuario and the Escuela del Barrio San Martín, which never happened.

“The Association (of National Games) failed to fulfill its obligation of depositing the donation into a bank account, regardless of the sums that were drawn by the INS so that the Internal Auditing could proceed with the stipulated revisions”, stated the document.

According to a note sent by the INS’s Auditor (dated June 5th, 2002), Leonel Fernández, to the autonomous institution’s Assistant Manager, a portion of the donation was used “for other purposes”. This caused the insurance company’s officials to present the case to the Ministerio Público on June, 2003, but currently the case is still under investigation.

For the former Legislator, Emanuel Ajoy, who was then President of the Organizing Committee for the National Games, the schools did not receive the money because a change in the destination of the funds was suggested to the INS. “They agreed with it”, he assured us during an interview held by this same journalist on August 15th, 2005. However, according to the report presented by the INS’s Auditor, there was never any other type of agreement besides the one that had initially been signed.

To this date, former Legislator Ajoy has not presented any documents regarding such an agreement with the INS, in relation to a change in the donation’s destination, to us.

On the other hand, Germán Cuevillas, also a former President (of the National Games Committee) and former Mayor of the colonial city, alleged that during his time in office “not a single cent was touched”.
On several occasions, the VON attempted to communicate with the INS’s Assistant Manager but, at press time, they had not answered any of the questions that were posed in regards to the investigation’s progress.

The Agreement
The agreement signed by the INS and the Asociación de Juegos Nacionales de Nicoya 2002 stated that ¢40,9 million out of the ¢100 million colones that were donated for the Games should be assigned for the improvement of the sports facilities located at three schools in Nicoya, but this never took place.

According to the Institution’s Internal Auditing, they went ahead with the donation without having the corresponding ratification from the Contraloría General de la República (National Comptroller’s Office), although this was required in the IV subsection of the signed agreement. The Comptroller’s authorization was finally given on March 2nd, 2002 but the check had been submitted to the Association on January 10th, 2002.

Since the ¢100 million colones were never deposited into a separate account --as was established in the agreement--, the INS’s Internal Auditing department was unable to exert an adequate accounting control over the money.

More Regional News

From Dogs to Pigs – Free Animal Clinic Provides Health Care to Over 200 Animals in Nosara

Nosara – Despite the fact she was about to lose her leg, the small black dog looked at peace as she lay on the table. As one of many bystanders, I stand waiting to see what will happen next. Just then, I hear a man’s voice come from behind me say, “That’s my dog.” More >

Fire at the Mini Súper Delicias del Mundo
“A huge cloud of smoke came over me”
Patricia Jimenez, co-owner of the store

Guiones – On Wednesday, August 4th, at 11:20 p.m. Manuel Pérez, an employee of a construction site located across from the Mini Súper Delicias del Mundo, heard the supermarket alarm system go off. Half and hour later, he saw the smoke. More >

Celebration of Nicoya’s Anexión
President Laura Chinchilla made promises to the Nicoyanos

Nicoya’s Municipalidad is currently struggling with a 140 million colones deficit in the 2009 budget which has the municipality scurrying to find a solution. The deficit was reported, back in April, to the Concejo Municipal (Municipal Council) by the Municipalidad’s Internal Auditing Department, which explained to the Council the difficult financial situation that the Institution is facing. More >

The Municipalidad Facing a ¢140 million deficit struggles to complete construction works

Serapio López Fajardo School in Nosara has problems with the school board
Municipalidad Removes President of Nosara’s
Education Board

The Concejo Municipal (Municipal Council) unanimously voted to remove Juan José López Castillo, President of the Junta de Educación (Education Board) of the Escuela Serapio López in Nosara, from office due to apparent financial anomalies that took place during his time in office. More >

Interview with Juan José “Adonai” López Castillo, Former President of the Education Board of the Escuela Serapio López
“I have all the Bills and Receipts for what was Purchased”

Is it true that Orlando Villarreal donated one million colones to the Education Board?
Yes. First, he wrote a check payable to the Board of Nosara but, as you know, there is no Board of Nosara, only a Board of Education. Since we were unable to cash the check my fellow Board member, Eraida Matarrita (Vocal 1), and I went looking for Orlando in order to explain that the check could not be cashed. More >

Interview with Zulay Salas Valenciano, Nicoya’s Regional Director for the MEP

Did you advise that Juan José López Castillo be dismissed?
There was an investigation done by the Supervising Adviser, Damaris Díaz Hernández, and its results indicated that a replacement should be requested by the Municipalidad, which is the entity that appoints the Juntas de Educación (Education Boards) members, so the file was sent and they made the resolution. More >

PLN, ML, PUSC and PAC Have Elected Their Candidates for Nicoya’s Mayor Elections

Four political parties have their candidates ready so that, on December 6th, the Nicoyanos will be able to elect their next Mayor, who will be in charge of the Municipalidad during the next six years. More >

US Consul visit in Nosara
Consul General to crowd: Fight crime together

The crowd couldn’t wait to vent. Before Paul Birdsall, Consul General of the U.S. Embassy to Costa Rica, could get out his thoughts on deterring crime, the crowd erupted with a litany of frustrations about the thefts and burglaries taking place in this coastal tourist town. More >

Interview with Grecy Castrillo Hernandez – Nicoya’s OIJ Operations Coordinator
“Crime in Nosara is not violent”

Has there been a rise in crime rates in Nosara?
Yes, whenever there is a growth in tourism, there is also a growth in delinquency.

According to Jason Vargas, Chief of Nosara’s Tourist Police, during the past nine months crime rates have not increased. Do you agree?
Yes, and not only did it not increase but it even decreased, not drastically, but we are aware that it has decreased.
More >