President José Raúl Mulino – Time Has Proven Me Right

The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, referred this Thursday, August 22, to Operation Jericho, in which some 30 people have been arrested, including Abraham Rico Pineda, son of the deputy of the Democratic Revolutionary Party, Raúl Pineda, stating that “time has proven me right.” It is a small image of what is happening in the country. There will be other Jericho operations in other state entities. A lot of dirty money and a lot of drug trafficking with the sponsorship and approval of officials,” said Mulino. In his weekly interview with the media, Mulino asked the corresponding authorities to act firmly on this issue. His reaction came after being asked about the operation and the fact that in July 2013, when he was Minister of Security, he called Congressman Pineda a cynic with immunity who asked for favors for a gang member.  “So, here there is no coverage for anyone, no protection for anyone. And whoever fell, fell.  I regret it. That is why they must have thought about it when they got into this dirty business, not now.  It is not time for regrets, but to put one’s chest out and face reality,” he said.

The president stressed that the country is being cleaned up, which represents an enormous effort and that the statistics show this with the drug seizures that are being carried out.  Operation Jericho began on June 30, 2023, when the Public Prosecutor’s Office discovered the existence of a criminal group engaged in international drug trafficking.  This group introduced the drugs through the Darien jungle by land, using backpackers. Later, the drugs were transported to San Miguelito, where they were hidden in vehicles with false bottoms and finally transported to Costa Rica.  Yesterday, Abraham Rico Pineda’s defense argued that he was a victim of political hatred, to which the president responded that he has no political hatred towards anyone in the country.  “I am not using the Presidency or my power to persecute anyone, much less on such a delicate issue. Look for an excuse elsewhere, in the law, but don’t come here and blame me, because that boy is in prison for what he was doing; he and the other accomplices who were caught, not because of me,” said the president.  Mulino said that he found out about the operation on the same day and that the attorney general (Javier Caraballo) explained that this operation began in 2023, when he was not even President of the Republic.