A former legislator from Guanacaste may face criminal charges for allegedly misappropriating an iPhone.

 

Ronal Vargas was a controversial legislator from the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) political party, a progressive and slightly leftist faction that gained a significant number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica in the last general elections. Mr. Vargas, who was forced to resign under convoluted circumstances, is refusing to return the mobile phone assigned to him by the Assembly.

 

The device in question is an iPhone 5, and Mr. Vargas has repeatedly refused to return it. Legislative Assembly rules dictate that the iPhones must be returned upon the end of a legislator’s term in Costa Rica; however, Mr. Vargas explained to political reporter Jimena Soto of online news daily CRHoy.com that he has good reasons for keeping the iPhone:

 

“I am facing a trial over a complaint of sexual harassment, which is a lie, and I have to defend myself. There is evidence in that iPhone, and if I return it I would be risking the loss of data crucial to my defense. No one has been able to assure me that the data will be properly backed up or safeguarded if I return the phone now [before the trial]. I explained this to Legislator Jorge Rodriguez, and he told me he would take care of it.”

 

Back in March, the Director of Legal Affairs at the Legislative Assembly formally warned Mr. Vargas that he could face larceny charges under Article 223 of the Criminal Code of Costa Rica, and he has been warned several times since.

 

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, the forced resignation of Mr. Vargas was a strange affair that culminated with a political circus. Although the official motive for Mr. Vargas’ resignation was a sexual harassment complaint by another legislator, who happened to be his former lover, it was never reported to the disciplinary section of the Legislative Assembly or to law enforcement. Under political advice, the alleged victim eventually agreed to file a complaint before a Labor Tribunal, but she reticent in doing so. The case is moving at a glacial pace, and the plaintiff has been known to miss hearings and filings.

 

For some reason, Mr. Vargas delivered a farewell speech to the Assembly in which he falsely explained that he was leaving due to problems related to gastric discomfort. Mr. Vargas claims that he was coached to deliver such speech, and that his ousting had ulterior and Machiavellian political motives.

 

The strange removal of Mr. Vargas, plus the fact that his alleged victim has been dragging her feet to file the complaint, has some political analysts worried about the internal affairs of Broad Front, a political party that is in shambles just like all other political factions in Costa Rica at this time.

 

Readers of The Costa Rica Star may be familiar with Mr. Vargas. He is particularly known for his support of the separatist movements of Scotland in the United Kingdom and Catalonia in the Kingdom of Spain, and he has entertained the idea of Guanacaste seeking independence from Costa Rica; not surprisingly, his constituents have been less than supportive in this regard.