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Wildlife
Serapio López Fajardo School in Nosara has problems with the school board
Municipalidad Removes President of Nosara’s
Education Board
By Emiliana García
  The Concejo Municipal (Municipal Council) unanimously voted to remove Juan José López Castillo, President of the Junta de Educación (Education Board) of the Escuela Serapio López in Nosara, from office due to apparent financial anomalies that took place during his time in office.

In February, the businessman Orlando Villarreal, owner of Dos Lorenas Supermarket in Esperanza, donated one million colones to Nosara´s Elementary School, doing so through a check payable to Juan José López Castillo. Instead of making it payable to the Education Board so that it could be deposited in the Board’s bank account at the Banco Nacional, as is stated in the Board’s regulations, Castillo instead cashed the check himself.

According to Castillo, it was Orlando’s idea to issue a personal check, “I went looking for Orlando in order to explain to him that the check could not be cashed and he [Orlando] said: “…why were we going to complicate things if we knew that the check was needed by the school and, if we did it [wrote a new check] with the Board, they would take almost two weeks before cashing it” (See Interview).

Nonetheless, Orlando argued that the suggestion came from Castillo (who is also known as “Adonai”) and not from him: “I made a first check that was payable to the Board,” Orlando explained, “but they told me that it could not be cashed and therefore, since they asked me to do so, I wrote Adonai a personal check.”

Castillo is held responsible for not submitting the bills or receipts to show how the money was spent. In addition to the one million colones that were donated, 750 thousand colones that were raised by the School Board during the management of the parking area for the Fiestas de Nosara this past January, were also never deposited into the Board’s account.

The Investigation
Due to this situation, the Nosara school principal, Elías Cárdenas Caravaca, issued a report on March 12th to his Supervisor in Nicoya, Damaris Díaz Hernández, in which he requested an “intervention of the Education Board…since it has become impossible to carry out any administrative work”. The Education Board’s vice-president, Ana Gómez López, its secretary, Margarita Torres López and Board member Eraida Díaz Martínez, also have said that several anomalies took place while Castillo was in office.

In addition, an audit was done by the Board’s Department of Nicoya according to Supervisor Hernández, “It was detected that several expenses were made without Board agreement, since these are not duly registered in the minute book”

The Resolution
The School Board’s regulations (Article 23), state that the Supervisor (Díaz Hernández) “must notify the respondent of the accusation, granting him/her a hearing to be held in five business days, in which he/she will be able to argue any relevant details and exercise the right of defense”. On April 21st, Hernández delivered the accusation to Castillo personally, but he did not present the relevant charges nor did he exercise his right to defend himself. Thereby, the case was transferred to the Regional Director, Zulay Salas Valenciano, who recommended that Castillo be removed from office. In an extraordinary session on Monday, July 7th, the Concejo Municipal decided to remove him.

SEE RELATED STORIES – 

Interview with Juan José “Adonai” López Castillo

“I have all the Bills and Receipts for what was Purchased” More >

Interview with Zulay Salas Valenciano, Nicoya’s Regional Director for the MEP More >

 

More Regional News

From Dogs to Pigs – Free Animal Clinic Provides Health Care to Over 200 Animals in Nosara

Nosara – Despite the fact she was about to lose her leg, the small black dog looked at peace as she lay on the table. As one of many bystanders, I stand waiting to see what will happen next. Just then, I hear a man’s voice come from behind me say, “That’s my dog.” More >

Fire at the Mini Súper Delicias del Mundo
“A huge cloud of smoke came over me”
Patricia Jimenez, co-owner of the store

Guiones – On Wednesday, August 4th, at 11:20 p.m. Manuel Pérez, an employee of a construction site located across from the Mini Súper Delicias del Mundo, heard the supermarket alarm system go off. Half and hour later, he saw the smoke. More >

Celebration of Nicoya’s Anexión
President Laura Chinchilla made promises to the Nicoyanos

Nicoya’s Municipalidad is currently struggling with a 140 million colones deficit in the 2009 budget which has the municipality scurrying to find a solution. The deficit was reported, back in April, to the Concejo Municipal (Municipal Council) by the Municipalidad’s Internal Auditing Department, which explained to the Council the difficult financial situation that the Institution is facing. More >

The Municipalidad Facing a ¢140 million deficit struggles to complete construction works

Nicoya’s Municipalidad is currently struggling with a 140 million colones deficit in the 2009 budget which has the municipality scurrying to find a solution. The deficit was reported, back in April, to the Concejo Municipal (Municipal Council) by the Municipalidad’s Internal Auditing Department, which explained to the Council the difficult financial situation that the Institution is facing. More >

INS’s 2002 Donation for Schools is Still Missing
• Donation amounted to almost ¢41 million colones
• The Asociación de Juegos Deportivos Nacionales was the organization responsible for financing

Nicoya’s Colegio Agropecuario and the Escuela de San Martín are still waiting for the almost ¢41 million colones donation that was made by the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) in 2002 for the improvement of their sports facilities. More >

Interview with Juan José “Adonai” López Castillo, Former President of the Education Board of the Escuela Serapio López
“I have all the Bills and Receipts for what was Purchased”

Is it true that Orlando Villarreal donated one million colones to the Education Board?
Yes. First, he wrote a check payable to the Board of Nosara but, as you know, there is no Board of Nosara, only a Board of Education. Since we were unable to cash the check my fellow Board member, Eraida Matarrita (Vocal 1), and I went looking for Orlando in order to explain that the check could not be cashed. More >

Interview with Zulay Salas Valenciano, Nicoya’s Regional Director for the MEP

Did you advise that Juan José López Castillo be dismissed?
There was an investigation done by the Supervising Adviser, Damaris Díaz Hernández, and its results indicated that a replacement should be requested by the Municipalidad, which is the entity that appoints the Juntas de Educación (Education Boards) members, so the file was sent and they made the resolution. More >

PLN, ML, PUSC and PAC Have Elected Their Candidates for Nicoya’s Mayor Elections

Four political parties have their candidates ready so that, on December 6th, the Nicoyanos will be able to elect their next Mayor, who will be in charge of the Municipalidad during the next six years. More >

US Consul visit in Nosara
Consul General to crowd: Fight crime together

The crowd couldn’t wait to vent. Before Paul Birdsall, Consul General of the U.S. Embassy to Costa Rica, could get out his thoughts on deterring crime, the crowd erupted with a litany of frustrations about the thefts and burglaries taking place in this coastal tourist town. More >

Interview with Grecy Castrillo Hernandez – Nicoya’s OIJ Operations Coordinator
“Crime in Nosara is not violent”

Has there been a rise in crime rates in Nosara?
Yes, whenever there is a growth in tourism, there is also a growth in delinquency.

According to Jason Vargas, Chief of Nosara’s Tourist Police, during the past nine months crime rates have not increased. Do you agree?
Yes, and not only did it not increase but it even decreased, not drastically, but we are aware that it has decreased.
More >

 

 

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