The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office requested Freddy González’ preventive detention, former cooperative coordinator of one of Antonio Álvarez Desanti’s moviments.
González was arrested on March 28th after 18 raids conducted in 11 cooperatives. He is accused of being the leader of a criminal structure that diverted more than ¢ 9 billion from the cooperatives. He is allegedly responsible for the crimes of embezzlement, influence against public finances, illicit enrichment and bribery, all to the detriment of the National Institute for Cooperative Development (INFOCOOP).
González Rojas, executive secretary of the National Council of Cooperatives (CONACOOP) was arrested along with five other people surnamed León Mora (President of COPRENA and manager of FECOPA), Gómez Ferreto (president of the INFOCOOP Board of Directors and manager of COOCAFÉ), Siles Zúñiga (president of COODEPAS, ONWARD and FECOPA boards) and Rojas Durán (INFOCOOP financing manager), and a woman surnamed Rodríguez Rodríguez (director of ONWARD and administrator of La Voz Cooperativa newspaper).
The investigation started last year, and determined that, through the elections manipulation, irregular reforms and records falsification, the accused could manipulate the appointments in INFOCOOP and CONACOOP, and therefore they were in charge of granting millionaire credits, with which they benefited people and diverted funds. It is estimated that INFOCOOP losses would amount to ¢ 9 billion.