Costa Rica's President Rodrigo Chaves Robles attends the session "Leadership for Latin America" during the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2023 in Davos, Switzerland, January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

Costa Rican President Chaves faces inquiry over influence peddling

Costa Rica's top prosecutor has opened a case against President Rodrigo Chaves and various other government officials for allegations of "influence peddling," the Attorney General's office confirmed.

Published on:

02 Aug 2023, 10:28 am

SAN JOSE (Reuters) -Costa Rica's top prosecutor has opened a case against President Rodrigo Chaves and various other government officials for allegations of "influence peddling," the Attorney General's office confirmed on Tuesday.

The case comes after a complaint was lodged by businessman Leonel Baruch late last month, accusing Chaves of interfering in his child custody proceedings following his divorce, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported earlier in the day.

The Attorney General's office said it could not comment further because the case was in a preliminary "private" stage.

The presidency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The communication ministry, meanwhile, said that it was respectful of the judicial process and would cooperate.

It is the prosecutor's second investigation involving Chaves in less than a month, following a July 17 probe over an alleged abuse of power.

(Reporting by Alvaro Murillo, Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Valentine Hilaire and Christopher Cushing)