On Wednesday, the Public Ethics Office (PEP) filed a criminal complaint against former legislator Abelino Esquivel Quesada, from the Costa Rican Renewal Party (PRC) in the period 2014-2018, for alleged crimes of illicit wealth, illegal association, among others.
The complaint includes the former legislator’s wife, Xinia Cortés Oporto, and a sister known as Uray Esquivel Quesada.
The motive behind the complaint are presumed faults to public ethics committed by Esquivel when he charged a percentage of the salary to his collaborators in the Legislative Assembly. Apparently, he also named his wife as a consultant and she was paid wages without showing up for work. His sister, who worked as head of the office, would have made the charge referred to the other employees of the office.
The officials who denounced this were Shirley Marín, head of office, Joselyne Rodríguez, journalist, and Álvaro Oconitrillo, who said months ago that the Esquivel dismissed them after they revealed they were forced to contribute with part of their salary in exchange for being hired.
According to the complaint, Marín was asked ¢25 thousand biweekly, Rodriguez ¢62,500, and Oconitrillo ¢200 thousand. The money was deposited to Uray Esquivel’s account. At the time, Gonalo Ramírez, former diputado of the PRC, clarified that the Political Directorate of the group was not applying the statute and said he had spoken with Esquivel to stop the dismissals of the three employees.
Esquivel’s former advisors submitted a request to the Administrative Management of the Congress so that the case could be sent to the PEP.