By Tico Times
Costa Rica鈥檚 Legislative Assembly is intensifying its investigation into alleged links between public officials and organized crime. Earlier today, the Special Permanent Commission on Security and Drug Trafficking voted unanimously to summon former presidents Laura Chinchilla (2010鈥2014) and Luis Guillermo Sol铆s (2014鈥2018) to testify before Congress regarding their potential connections to Celso Gamboa, a former high-ranking security official now facing extradition.
Gamboa, who served as Vice Minister of Security under Chinchilla and later as Minister under Sol铆s, is currently in provisional detention after a San Jos茅 court approved a U.S. extradition request on June 24. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has linked Gamboa to suspected drug trafficking networks, prompting heightened scrutiny of his political and institutional ties.
Lawmakers on the commission say both ex-presidents must clarify the nature of their relationships with Gamboa, particularly whether political appointments or endorsements may have facilitated criminal activity. The goal, they said, is to determine whether Gamboa鈥檚 rise to power was enabled by institutional blind spots or political protection.
In addition to Chinchilla and Sol铆s, several other current and former senior officials will be called to testify, including Minister of Security Mario Zamora, Minister of Justice and Peace Gerald Campos, Costa Rican Drug Institute director Fernando Ram铆rez, Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) director R谩ndall Z煤帽iga, Supreme Court Justice Patricia Solano, and former Attorney General Jorge Chavarr铆a.
Hearing dates have not yet been confirmed but are expected to take place in the coming weeks. The inquiry comes amid growing concerns over the infiltration of drug trafficking networks into Costa Rica鈥檚 political and judicial systems. Gamboa鈥檚 extensive career in law enforcement, the judiciary, and politics has made the case particularly high-profile.
Authorities are also pursuing a related case involving Edwin L贸pez Vega, alias 鈥淧echo de Rata,鈥 a Costa Rican national currently held in provisional detention and also wanted for extradition to the United States on drug trafficking charges.
With two extradition cases now involving prominent figures, the Assembly鈥檚 investigation marks one of the most significant efforts to address allegations of organized crime influence within the Costa Rican government in recent years.