Former President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado He pointed out, during a virtual forum organized by the Blue and White Unit, held this Friday, April 21, the importance of the international community in the face of the sociopolitical and economic crisis that Nicaragua is going through at the hands of the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
Regarding the economic financing that Nicaragua enjoys from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), Alvarado indicated that the situation that the country is going through should be exposed to the presidents of each country that make up the regional financial organization so that “ they decide if, as legitimate representatives of those peoples, they agree or not that they contribute to a regime that is dictatorial.”
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For his part, the researcher Manuel Orozco, who also participated in the forum, indicated that it is really morally, economically and politically indefensible that CABEI is granting loans to the Ortega regime. “80% of the loans to Nicaragua come from CABEI,” he stated.
The expert explained that to put pressure on and prevent Ortega from continuing to finance, the approach must be “multidimensional and multi-institutional to more than 15 institutions and work with at least 10 countries in the world to put pressure on Nicaragua, but it is necessary to have the decision specific”.
The silence of the international community is complicit
On the other hand, Alvarado emphasized that the other Central American countries and the “observers” such as Argentina, Colombia, Spain or Korea, are part of the capital.
“The question is, what do we have to say as democratic countries about what is happening —in Nicaragua—?” He also pointed out that it is necessary to receive a response from these countries, “because silence or even pragmatism is complicit.”
He also said that it is important to constantly guide the exercise of democratic actions in pursuit of a democratic change that helps the Nicaraguan population.
CABEI audit
Regarding the supervision of loans to Nicaragua, Manuel Orozco said that it is necessary to take up (Dante) Mossi’s offer to work with Alberto Brunoriof the United Nations, since that organization requests an audit from CABEI to find out if it is complying with the regulations.
“The loans that have been given to Nicaragua must also be taken and see if there is really compliance with the contractual notes that exist in each of its loans in relation to different elements and almost all contractual elements have components on corruption, laundering of money, as well as social development,” he stressed.
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He highlighted that the Central American Integration Bank has affirmed that it subscribes to the United Nations sustainable development goals, as its legal compliance indicators for loan approval, “but in point 17 of United Nations Sustainable Law it is about a state of law, justice and peace, then accountability is fundamental”.
«You have to take him at his word that Dante Mossi has given to work with the United Nations and the audit is the baseline with which you can work, but he does not give human rights courses, since they are not going to give me gruel on the finger », he emphasized.
Given this issue, Alvarado recalled that it must be taken into account that CABEI is “an engine” of development for the region, however, he stressed that Nicaragua is one of the countries that has high levels of migration, violence and poverty in the world.
“Then one starts to think about the bank and everything it manages, because the bank is not an assistance bank, the bank is paid for by Central American taxpayers,” he said.
Related news: US senators and congressmen ask Central American governments to stop CABEI loans to Ortega
He remarked that “one would think that it should be managed under the principle of austerity and transparency, because it is due to all those people and especially the most vulnerable (…) So under that principle, first I think that the bank should operate under those criteria and I say this with moral authority because when I was president (of Costa Rica), my representatives (…) fought for all bank transfers to be made transparent, even to its directors, appointed by each president of each country, who earn an amount that is higher, even than that earned by managers of other larger banks, from other more developed areas”
The former president insisted that the international community has a role to observe, accompany and sponsor the efforts so that Nicaragua can resume the democratic path.
“Many times when we hear the cry for the international community to do something, we have to set the expectation that that something is to raise its voice and apply some human rights instruments to help amend the path,” he concluded.
