Costa Rica Supreme Court rejects habeas corpus for MECO boss

The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Costa Rica declared without foundation a writ of habeas corpus presented by the defense of Carlos Cerdas, owner of the construction company MECO.

Cerdas has been in prison since July 19, when a court annulled a release bond imposed in his favor. The businessman is being investigated for being suspected of alleged acts of corruption with public contracts for the construction of roads.

The businessman, who reached a penalty agreement with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office in Panama for the Blue Apple case, was arrested in the city of San José, along with 28 other people, in an operation carried out in June 14, as a result of the Cochinilla case. , which investigates alleged acts of corruption that link businessmen and officials of the government of President Carlos Alvarado.

The information on the decision of the Constitutional Chamber was confirmed to the newspaper La Nación de Costa Rica “by the press office of the high court”, before a query from that medium.

After his capture, Cerdas was sent to judicial cells, where he waited until June 26, when Judge Carolina Lizano released her verdict in relation to the hearing requesting precautionary measures.

Despite the fact that the prosecution asked Cerdas for a year of preventive detention, the judge decided to impose a bond of $5 million. After the payment was made, Cerdas was released. The prosecution appealed the judge’s decision and a court decided to revoke the precautionary measure and he was detained again by agents of the Police Investigation Agency.