BRIEFS: Crime

Statue case file returned to prosecutors

The Ninth Criminal Court has told prosecutors that more information is needed before criminal charges can be filed against the Cancillería for allegations that fraud was committed in the spending of $245,000 for the commission of the statue “Juegos de Antaño.”

The ruling, signed yesterday by Judge Diego Fernández, also ordered that the case file be returned to prosecutors so that they could continue their investigation, which started in 2000. The probe is focused on whether or not the contracts that were signed by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores for the work were adhered to.

Prosecutors have complained that the Contraloría General de la República intentionally delayed the investigation by taking more than five years to deliver an audit report of the project. They had also asked the judge to dismiss the case because the investigation had taken too long, but that request was denied.

In the meantime, the statue still has not been found. It went missing from a warehouse where it was being stored.

Attorney General Ana Matilde Gómez has said that all evidence in the case points to a crime of embezzlement, but has not yet been able to identify any suspects.