A scandalous finding revealed by an internal investigation within the Office of Judicial Investigation (Spanish initials: OIJ) in Costa Rica is being reported and mocked by sports journalists around the world. The news concern Keylor Navas, the star goalkeeper of the National Men’s Football Team, whose amazing performance in the FIFA World Cup in Brazil earlier this year prompted his signing with the prestigious Spanish football club Real Madrid.

According to a report by Joselyne Ugarte of online news daily CRHoy.com, OIJ agents and prosecutors performed a fair share of spying and snooping into the life of Mr. Navas. A total of 24 OIJ employees, most of them field agents, and four prosecutors took turns looking into the activities of Mr. Navas away from the pitch. Prior to signing with Real Madrid, Mr. Navas played for the Levante club of the Spanish League, and he spent considerable time training with the National Football Team of Costa Rica under former coach Jorge Luis Pinto.

The unauthorized monitoring has been shamefully reported by major football news outlets such as ESPN, As and Marca. OIJ officials have stated that an internal investigation could lead to unpaid suspensions and terminations without severance.

Not only did OIJ agents and prosecutors snoop on Mr. Navas, but also on his two young sisters and his wife. Notwithstanding the lack of legal or judicial motive for spying on Mr. Navas, even members of special police units such as anti-narcotics and intelligence gathering joined in the spying, which was conducted from OIJ offices spanning from Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, and Puntarenas. Mr. Navas is from Perez Zeledon.

Details of the investigation indicate that a total of 51 inquiries were performed by OIJ employees and prosecutors into Mr. Navas’ file within the agency. It is important to note that Mr. Navas does not have a criminal record, but his position as a highly paid athlete may have prompted the OIJ to create a file within a platform where criminals and suspects are tracked alongside people whose careers put them in the public eye. Such operations were not widely known among average citizens in Costa Rica, but ineptitude and malfeasance over the last few years have shed a light into this uncomfortable practice.

The disgraceful news come at a time when people in Costa Rica are questioning the existence and work of shadowy special units such as DIS, an umbrageous intelligence agency that recently mentioned the possibility of ISIS operatives in our country, but could not confirm or deny such claims. As expected, legislators are livid over this invasion of privacy and are conducting their own investigation.