San Jose, April 28: Costa Rica’s former president Miguel Angel Rodriguez has been sentenced to five years in prison for taking kickbacks for granting a lucrative contract to French telecoms company Alcatel.
He governed the Costa Rica from 1998-2002.
Rodriguez, an erstwhile head of the Organisation of American States, Wednesday turned the second former Costa Rican president to be convicted on corruption charges.
Another former Costa Rican president Rafael Angel Calderon was sentenced in 2009 for actions that occurred after his 1990-1994 presidential term.
The court in San Jose, the third-largest city in California, acquitted Rodriguez on four other charges, but included in his sentence a 12-year ban on holding any public office.
Rodriguez, who has consistently maintained his innocence and says the case against him is politically motivated, remained composed during the reading of the verdict.
He was charged after former aide Jose Antonio Lobo said Rodriguez urged him to seek a $2 million “commission” from Alcatel and funnel 60 percent of the money to the then-president.
The value of the contract Alcatel received in 2001 for the establishment of 400,000 cell phone connections was $149 million.
Eight other people, including officials, attorneys and Alcatel’s representative in Costa Rica, have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to 20 years.
Alcatel allegedly paid a total of $14 million in bribes to obtain the contract.
–IANS–