Immunity of Costa Rican President and Cabinet Faces Challenge in Wake of Election Funding Allegations

Costa Rica’s Prosecutor General, Carlo Díaz Sánchez, has asked the Supreme Court to remove the legal immunity that protects President Rodrigo Chaves from prosecution. This request is linked to accusations that Chaves’s 2022 presidential campaign received illegal funding.

The Prosecutor General’s request also covers several other senior officials. He asked the Court to lift immunity for the First Vice President, Stephan Brunner, and Foreign Minister, Arnoldo André Tinoco.

Four lawmakers from the president’s party—Pilar Cisneros, Luz Mary Alpízar, Paola Nájera, and Waldo Agüero—are also included, due to their alleged roles in the campaign’s financial activities.

According to the Prosecutor General’s office, Chaves’s campaign used private bank accounts and a trust to fund election activities. These funds were not overseen by Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal, which is required to supervise all political donations and spending.

Costa Rican law states that all campaign contributions must come from fully identified Costa Rican citizens and must be processed through official party channels. The Prosecutor General’s statement emphasized that the alleged actions violated these rules.

The Supreme Court must now review the evidence and decide whether to lift immunity for the president and the other officials. If the Court agrees, the Legislative Assembly will make the final decision.

So far, the Costa Rican government has not issued an official response to these accusations against President Chaves and the other officials.