Costa Rica Ex-Foreign Minister Loses Immunity, Faces Two Criminal Probes
COSTA RICA · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —The country Costa Rica is a Central American democracy of about 5 million people. Its economy leans heavily on foreign companies, which invested US$2.74 billion there in the first half of 2026.
- —The background Cinde, a private non-profit agency, has long courted those investors for the country. In May 2023 the government of then-president Rodrigo Chaves ended its cooperation agreement with it.
- —Why now President Laura Fernández fired Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar on 24 September. As a minister he could be prosecuted only if two-thirds of Congress agreed; that shield has now gone.
- —What happened The chief prosecutor’s office is preparing to pass two investigations against Tovar to the anti-corruption prosecutors, the newspaper La Nación confirmed on 1 October.
- —Who is who Tovar was foreign trade minister under Chaves before Fernández made him foreign minister. Paula Bogantes, now science and technology minister, is also under investigation and keeps her immunity.
- —What it means for you No one has been charged. The case reopens questions about political pressure on the agency that sells Costa Rica to foreign investors.
- —Still open What the second investigation is about in detail, and how Tovar answers. He did not respond to La Nación.
Costa Rica’s former foreign minister, Manuel Tovar, lost his ministerial immunity when he was fired on 24 September. Two criminal investigations against him can now move through the ordinary courts, La Nación reported on 1 October.
One concerns alleged pressure on Cinde, the private agency that attracts foreign investment to Costa Rica. The other is listed as possible “influence against the public treasury”.
What changed for Tovar
Under Article 121 of Costa Rica’s constitution, cabinet ministers can be prosecuted only after two-thirds of Congress approves. That protection lasts only while they hold office.
Fernández dismissed Tovar after 139 days. She blamed him for her absence from a 22 September meeting with Donald Trump, as The Rio Times reported.
The chief prosecutor’s office, which held both files while he was a minister, is now preparing copies of them. They go to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, which will continue the investigations, La Nación confirmed after a first report by El Financiero.
The case over the investment agency
The first file, case 24-000033-0033-PE, is for alleged influence peddling. It was opened on 21 May 2024 after a complaint by the Office of Public Ethics, the state’s anti-corruption watchdog.
According to the complaint, Tovar and Bogantes pressed Cinde’s then president, Eric Scharf, between 6 and 21 December 2022. They allegedly used WhatsApp text and voice messages and phone calls.
The complaint says they sought the removal of two Cinde executives: Director General Jorge Sequeira Picado and communications chief Andrea Centeno. At the time Tovar was foreign trade minister; CRHoy describes Bogantes as a former deputy foreign trade minister.
Sequeira announced his departure a month later; Centeno stayed on for some time. She had headed Japdeva, a state port authority, under the previous president, Carlos Alvarado.
The search for Sequeira’s successor drew attention of its own.
Pedro Beirute, a former general manager of Procomer, the state export agency, applied in January 2023. He was named in the press as the presidency’s candidate, which he denied.
Cinde chose Marianella Urgellés from about 200 applicants in April 2023, CRHoy reported. The choice caused unease in the presidential office, the site added.
In February 2025 the prosecution service confirmed to the news site CRHoy that this influence-peddling case existed and was under investigation. Bogantes’s office said then that she had not been formally notified of any ruling.
The second file, case 25-000149-0033-PE, concerns possible “influence against the public treasury”. La Nación gave no details of the conduct under investigation.
Why Cinde matters
Cinde is a private, non-profit body that has long marketed Costa Rica to multinational companies. Foreign investment is one of the economy’s main engines, led by companies in free-trade zones.
In May 2023, five months after the alleged pressure, the Chaves government ended its 2020 investment agreement with Cinde. It cited the state of public finances, La Nación noted.
Tovar argued, according to CRHoy, that Procomer should take on that work. “We have taken a political decision to give back to Procomer what the law granted it,” he said in March 2024.
What comes next
The anti-corruption prosecutors will decide whether to bring charges, ask for more evidence or close the cases. No timetable has been published.
Bogantes remains a minister and keeps her immunity. She cannot be prosecuted unless two-thirds of Congress agrees.
The news does not mean Tovar has been charged or found guilty; both files are investigations. La Nación called and messaged him for comment and received no reply by publication.
When he was fired, Tovar wrote on X that he accepted “this moment with great peace”.
For investors, the agency itself is not accused of anything. The question the case raises is how far ministers went in pressing a private body over its staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Manuel Tovar?
Manuel Tovar was Costa Rica’s foreign trade minister under President Rodrigo Chaves and became foreign minister when Laura Fernández took office. She fired him on 24 September 2026, after 139 days.
What is Cinde?
Cinde is a private, non-profit agency that promotes Costa Rica to foreign investors. The government ended its cooperation agreement with Cinde in May 2023.
Has Tovar been charged with a crime?
No. He is under investigation in two cases, one for alleged influence peddling linked to Cinde. Prosecutors have announced no charges.
Why could he not be prosecuted before?
Costa Rica’s constitution protects sitting ministers: Congress must approve any prosecution by a two-thirds vote. Tovar lost that protection when he left office.
Sources: La Nación, Tovar to face criminal case over Cinde after losing immunity, 1 October 2026, CRHoy, prosecutors investigate two ministers over Cinde dismissals, 19 February 2025, Constitution of Costa Rica, Article 121. Background: The Rio Times, 25 September and 1 October 2026. All retrieved 2 October 2026.
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