The Public Ministry must ascertain if the former Minister of Agriculture, Luis Felipe Arauz, breached his duties in the alleged export of fake organic pineapple that Costa Rica made to the United States and Europe between 2015 and 2016.
This is one of several conclusions included in the Commission for the Control of Income and Public Expenditure's legislative report of the last legislature, which was recently discussed and approved by the current Plenary.
The report, approved by 38-9, recommends that the Prosecutor's Office determine if Arauz committed a crime. In addition, it instructs the Ministry of Agriculture and the State Phytosanitary Service to review and renovate the current regulations so they are up to date and are tantamount to the best regulatory practices demanded by the international markets.
According to the report, it's probable that regular pineapple was fraudulently sold to international markets as if it were organic.
The alleged crime was denounced by Members of the National Chamber of Organic Agriculture (Canagro).
Arauz denied before the body that there was a breach of duties on his part, a position also defended by the former vice-minister Ivannia Quesada.
Source: teletica.com