FORMER Costa Rican President Miguel Angel Rodríguez, well known for his speeches on democracy and legitimate political power as well as for his unconditional support of the Cuban-American mafia’s aims to isolate Cuba and end to the Revolution’s prestige, is facing serious charges of corruption in his country.

The Costa Rican Legislative Assembly has passed a motion in support of a governmental decree demanding Rodríguez’ resignation as secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), so that he can immediately stand trial in court.

The scandal began after former Electricity Institute (ICE) executive José Antonio Lobo accused Rodríguez of receiving two million dollars from the Alcatel company.

According to Lobo, on September 17 the OAS secretary called him asking him to record the two million dollars as a credit when in fact, Lobo alleges: "the payment of 60% of an Alcatel prize based on gaining an ICE tender in 2001 to install 400 new GSM cellular technology lines."

The scam began in 2001 when the foreign company obtained a concession of approximately $149 million and, with Lobo’s approval and Rodríguez’ consent, in 2002 Alcatel received a further $109 million concession under the pretext of expanding phone landline centers.

In that context and under the shadow of doubt, the ruling Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) dismissed Rodríguez from the organization, a highly significant event given that this was the party that kept him in power from 1998 to 2002. However, the party is now insisting, in tune with public opinion, on bringing the former president to trial without delay.

A few days prior to the charge, the OAS secretary general acknowledged from his Washington office that he had invested $140,000 in his campaign for the regional post, an amount given to him by Lobo himself. Rodríguez, however, refuses to plead guilty to the charges brought by his supposed personal friend and the former minister of housing.

In his country, Rodríguez is regarded as an admirer of International Monetary Fund (IMF) formulas and a convinced partisan of neoliberalism, favoring privatizations, a strategy that he tried to extend beyond that effected in the banking system, into insurance, electricity, communications and national parks administration.

Massive protests prevented him from carrying out his plans, and his administration concluded without achieving any concrete results. In the end, however, this very failure helped him to deal with negative opinions and, despite his 78 trips abroad, by the end of his term he had built an acceptable image for his party and for himself, as the "listener to people’s complaints."

PUSC General Secretary Jorge Eduardo Sánchez has categorically denied that the ruling party is crumbling, given that, in his opinion, these are only isolated incidents. Nonetheless many analysts consider that this crisis has tarnished the party’s actions throughout the last six years. Experts consulted by this newspaper confirmed that view. The Costa Rican president has distanced himself from his colleagues’ actions (former president Rafael Calderón has also been charged by the Economic Crimes Attorney with receiving sinecures). Abel Pacheco has declared that he will pursue justice until the end. Nevertheless many consider that, in addition to a being a significant to the country’s political class, repeated charges of corruption are a bad precedent for the upcoming 2006 presidential campaign.

The Costa Rican people are planning a series of demonstrations, such as those by university students, to show their dissatisfaction at recent events. In a press release, the National Council of University Directors (CONARE) informed that the protest will become apparent on the country’s streets on October 12 since "we, the academics, are convinced that the Costa Rican people need to mobilize in the face of serious acts of corruption."

On the other hand, some specialists are not discounting the possibility that this destabilization could be influenced by former Head of State Oscar Arias’ intentions to run as a presidential candidate for a second term. Some national press analysts believe that if elections were to be held immediately, the representative of the opposing National Liberation Party (PLN) would win.

In recent statements regarding the scandals, Arias called on the parties (Calderón and Rodríguez) to "minimize the irreparable damage they have caused to Costa Rica’s image and to our people’s faith."

In 1999, at the request of top CANF leaders, Rodríguez acted as their spokesperson at the 9th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government in Havana, where he conditioned his attendance upon the inclusion of a representation of Cuban dissidents at the meeting.

Failing to achieve his goal, as foreign minister, he launched an overt campaign of support for the tiny counterrevolutionary factions, emphasizing in all his speeches his concern for "government transparency and the need for democracy" for this hemisphere, especially in Cuba.

Rodríguez was deeply involved in destabilizing initiatives such as the seminar: Towards democracy in Cuba, led by the former Spanish prime minister José María Aznar. In addition, the former president was seen with the Cuban American mafia at the 2003 Madrid Forum of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba and Venezuela. Now, as head of the OAS, he is continuing his patronage of and commitment to both the current Bush administration and counterrevolutionary factions outside and on the island.

In a report entitled "Meeting with Miguel Angel Rodríguez," published on June 21, 2004 by Siglo XXI (by the so-called Cuban Committee for Human Rights), counterrevolutionary activist Haydee Marín was euphoric at the former president’s words regarding their "friendship."

"He emphatically repeated that, during his mandate at the OAS, issues regarding Cuba’s democratization, inter-American integration, public freedom and the state of law will be priorities on his agenda," Marín wrote.

In a different section of her anecdotal account, she describes how "Miguel Angel Rodríguez is an old friend and collaborator of the Cuban people’s struggle to defend their human rights. During his term as Costa Rica’s president, we met him on four occasions, and he has always shown his commitment to our pro-democracy and human rights movement via the Costa Rican delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, and in other international forums."

According to Marín, dazzled by Rodríguez’ anti-Castro position, one of the most outstanding opportunities is being able to count on "a new weapon for the defense of democratic values, which is now in the hands of the OAS."

She was referring to the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which, disguised as an "emancipating power," abrogates the right to "safeguard democracy," disregarding the fact that, in the case of Cuba, the people have democratically chosen the socialist alternative through a referendum.