José María Figueres
Encyclopedia
José María Figueres Olsen (born in San José, Costa Rica
, December 24, 1954), is a Costa Rica
n politician, businessman and international expert on Sustainable Development
and Technology. He served as President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998, Minister of Foreign Trade 1986-1988, and then Minister of Agriculture 1988-1990.
declared “Person of the 20th Century” by the leading newspaper in Costa Rica http://www.nacion.com/dominical/1999/diciembre/19/dominical1.html. His mother, First Lady
Karen Olsen Beck
, born in the United States to Danish immigrants, later adopted Costa Rican nationality. After being First Lady she was appointed Ambassador
to Israel in 1982. In 1990 she was elected Member of Congress for the 1990 - 1994 legislature.
With both parents actively involved in public service, José María Figueres grew up in La Lucha, a farm community his father Don Pepe founded in 1928. There José María attended the public school Cecilia Orlich Figueres, before going on to study at the Colegio Humboldt and later Lincoln High School, both in San José. Upon graduating from high school he worked for a couple of years, and then was accepted into the Corps of Cadets at the United States Military Academy
(West Point), where he graduated with the Class of 1979, having majored in Engineering.
Upon returning to Costa Rica, he worked and later led the restructuring process of the deeply indebted family businesses, Sociedad Agroindustrial San Cristobal (SAISC), towards profitability and professional management.
(1986–1990), appointed Figueres to overhaul the ailing National Railway System, INCOFER. Shortly afterwards he was appointed Minister in the Arias government, first of Foreign Trade and later of Agriculture, upon the completion of the governmental period Figueres continued his academic studies at the John F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University
, graduating in 1991 with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.
Back in Costa Rica, Figueres declared his intention to seek the nomination of the political party he belonged to, Partido Liberación Nacional. After a heated and much-disputed primary election process involving five candidates, Figueres won the party's nomination in 1993 and went on to the national election which he won in February 1994. José María Figueres Olsen was elected President of Costa Rica
for four years at the age of 39, the nation's youngest president in the 20th century.
as the integrating architecture of governmental action. This program was anchored on three pillars: Firstly, to transform the Costa Rican economy towards one of higher productivity, with special emphasis on technology. Secondly, for the Costa Rican society to express greater solidarity by opening opportunities of wellbeing for all. Thirdly, for society to develop itself in harmony with nature (from the book “Gobernando en Tiempos de Cambio: Administración Figueres Olsen, by Leonardo Garnier). The administration is credited with having worked to advance and promote further integration of Costa Rica into the globalized economy.
Figueres is also a member of the Club of Madrid
, an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries.
In the same field of deploying technologies to boost development, together with Nicolas Negroponte and Jeffrey Sachs, Figueres founded the “Digital Nations Consortium”, a program overseen by the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT).
In 1999 he was called upon by Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations to chair a working group on Information, Communication, Technology (ICT). He was later elected Chairman of the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (ICT).
In 2000, Figueres was appointed Managing Director of the World Economic Forum
, and independent international organization dedicated to improving the state of the world by bringing together world leaders to establish alliances that can influence industry, regional and global agendas. Three years later he was appointed as the first CEO of the World Economic Forum. His responsibilities included coordinating the prestigious annual meeting of the Forum in Davos
, Switzerland
, which brings together prominent corporate leaders, Heads of State and Government, as well as respected personalities from the academic, cultural and religious world. Among his achievements while at the Forum was the strengthening of bonds between the corporate world and governmental and social sectors in order to identify their common long term interests and visions.
Figueres resigned from the World Economic Forum towards the end of 2004. In March 2005, Figueres joined the Felipe IV Group in Madrid
, Spain
as its CEO. This organization supports and collaborates with institutions working in the fields of Development, Dialogue, and Democracy around the world.
Figueres has been a member of a number of boards in the environmental field. He was Chairman of LEAD
as well as FUNDES Internacional. He has also served as a director of the, World Wildlife Fund, the Botanic Research Institute Texas, the World Resources Institute
(WRI), and the Stockholm Environment Institute
. His current positions include Earth Council Geneva, Global Fairness Initiative, Dean's Alumni Leadership Council at the John F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University
, Thunderbird
Board of Fellows, Dubai Recycling Park, Abraaj Capital
, FRIDE, and the Club of Madrid
where he is a founding member. He is also a member of the Global Leadership for Climate Action task force http://www.globalclimateaction.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemid=53, and Board Member of DARA (international organization).
against Figueres, but under the statute of limitations
the case could no longer be opened. Figueres accused the Romero brothers of libel and in 1993 a court acquitted them while condemning their main source, former drug-enforcement officer Walter Campos. Figueres won the presidential election in 1994 and appointed his lawyer in the libel case as the new Minister of Public Safety. In 1998 another court sentenced the Romero brothers to seven years' imprisonment for making a false accusation, but that sentence was appealed and revoked due to procedural issues. In 2000, two years after Figueres left office, the legal proceeding ended with a settlement between the Romero brothers and Figueres's lawyers.
On 22 January 2002, television anchor Ignacio Santos of Channel 7 in Costa Rica, interviewed John Biehl, an international figure in Latin America and a close collaborator to President Oscar Arias during his first presidency (1986–1990). In the interview Mr. Biehl speaking on the issue of dirty politics, states that for answers on the ‘Chemise Case’ with which President Figueres was attacked during his campaign, questions should be addressed to Fernando Zumbado. Mr. Zumbado had been Minister of Housing during President Arias’ first administration, and is again a Minister in President Arias’ second term (2006 to present). During the political campaign to elect Jose Maria Figueres, Mr. Zumbado was first a contender of Mr. Figueres, and later retired to support candidate Margarita Penon, who was then married to President Arias.http://www.campanada.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=82&Itemid=9
.http://www.teletica.com/archivo/tn7/nac/especial/figueres.htmhttp://www.ticotimes.net/dailyarchive/2005_01/daily_01_31_05.htm#story1
It was revealed that Figueres Olsen received nearly US $ 900 thousand from Alcatel, for a consultation on telecommunications. Figueres was hired by the firm H.F. Desarrollos Interdisciplinarios S.A. (DISA), owned by Roberto Hidalgo, who was an advisor during his presidential term. Carmen Valverde Acosta, former Secretary General of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN by its Spanish acronym, Figueres Olsen's party) also received nearly US $ 900 thousand from DISA. Valverde elaborated texts for DISA and provided editing services through her company, Grupo de Asesores Lingüisticos Asociados. Carmen Valverde Acosta is the sister of Edgar Valverde Acosta, Alcatel general manager in Costa Rica at the time of the bribery scandal. Roberto Hidalgo signed three contracts between 2000 and 2001 with France's Alcatel intended to provide political advise to Alcatel on Costa Rican politics and interpretation of the Costa Rican reality. in total Alcatel paid Hidalgo's DISA a total amount of US $ 2,7 million, shared proportionally by the three people involved, Figueres Olsen, Hidalgo and valverde Acosta. Alcatel payments were conditional on the success of Alcatel in its dealings with the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE, by its Spanish acronym). In August, 2001 Alcatel won a contract to install 400 thousand land lines, at a cost of US $ 149 million. It also won a contract from ICE in 2002 to expand the land-line system,a project of US $ 109 million. Hidlago was also external advisor of Alcatel, receiving US 2000 per month during the first year, an amount that doubled afterwards (http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/ESPECIALES/ice-alcatel/n1027.html). The revelations of these payments triggered strong reactions from former allies of Figueres Olsen. Marco Vargas, the minister of Presidencia (Cabinet minister) during Figueres Olsen administration resigned as Figueres Olsen representative in Costa Rica. In a letter, Vargas stated that the news about Figuerres and associates dealings with Alactel, caused him to feel "surprised, annoyed, confused and even indignant" (http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/ESPECIALES/ice-alcatel/n1027.html#nota3). Oscar Arias
stated that he felt wretched by the news of the revelations. He also stated that Figueres' actions imply "a treason to the party and the heritage of Don Pepe" (Jose Figueres Ferrer
, father of Jose Maria Figueres). http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/ESPECIALES/ice-alcatel/n1027.html#nota4). Arias announced at the time he intended to demand to the party authorities the expulsion of Figueres Olsen from the PLN.
On February, 2010 Alcatel announced that it will pay US $ 137 million for the briberies in Costa Rica to avoid a trial in the US for bribing officials in Costa Rica and other countries. Alcatel's operations in the US oblige it to comply with US legislation punishing bribing (http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2010/febrero/19/pais2274682.html)
Following the media allegations, Mr. Figueres was forced to resign from the World Economic Forum (WEF). The WEF issued a statement that it, "through the press, has discovered that Jose Maria Figueres had, during two and a half years, a significant contractual agreement with another enterprise while holding a directorial post in the Forum." The arrangement Figueres had with Alcatel contravenes WEF rules on outside employment (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go1655/is_2004_Nov_4/ai_n7347073/). Figueres asked the Costa Rican Internal Revenue Service to revise his financial affairs and tax returns. Both Figueres Olsen and Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier
(a former Costa Rican president who was found guilty of several bribery and other charges) paid 107 million Costa Rican colones for undeclared revenue in 2004. Figueres Olsen presented undeclared revenues and paid (throughout his brother Mariano) a total of 67,2 million Costa Rican colones in taxes. Figueres associates, Mr. Hidalgo and Ms. Valverde also reported undeclared revenue connected with their consulting for Alcatel. By paying before the Costa Rican Tributacion Directa (Internal Tax Revenue) intervention, people receiving payments from Alcatel and other alleged bribery schemes avoided to be tried for tax fraud, a crime that could result in a 10 year prison term (http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2004/noviembre/17/pais1.html). On 5 December 2005 the Internal Revenue Service of Costa Rica notified Figueres of no financial misconduct or tax evasion with resolution number 5452000009594 dated 27 October 2005.
A Congressional Commission took it upon themselves to investigate the allegations. The Commission of Control of Public Revenue and Expenditure (Comisión de Control del Ingreso y el Gasto Público) sent a subpoena to Figueres. He ignored the Commission requests, preferring to presented them a sworn affidavit with a detailed account of his professional services in the field of technology and communications (accessible on request in the Costa Rican Congressional Records http://www.asamblea.go.cr). At the time the Commission requested the Ministry of Seguridad Pública to demand the assistance of Interpol in order to bring Mr Figueres to the country. Member of Mr. Figueres' party, the PLN in the commission also supported the resolution (http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/ESPECIALES/ice-alcatel/n1119.html#nota2). However, on 6 September 2005, Judge Maria Morales of the First Circuit Court of Costa Rica pronounced a ruling in Figueres' favour, and against the Congressional Commission's procedures. The Commission also failed to register a report on the findings before the Congress, as stipulated in Congressional Procedural Regulations.
Figueres was never summoned nor charged by the Attorney General http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2006/junio/06/pais11.html. On 19 September 2007, the Attorney General formally announced that there were no grounds on which to summon, or press any charges against Figueres. http://www.diarioextra.com/2007/octubre/02/ http://www.diarioextra.com/2007/octubre/02/nacionales01.php. Figueres resides in Europe and has not returned to Costa Rica since 2004. http://www.nacion.com/2010-04-23/ElPais/UltimaHora/ElPais2346296.aspx
It should be noted that Figueres was elected by the Liberación Nacional political party (PLN). Both other ex-Presidents formally investigated belong to a different political party, Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC). The party at power at the moment of the investigations was PUSC, the same as the two ex-presidents who were incarcerated. Of the eight members of the Congressional Commission that looked into this case, one belonged to the same political party as Figueres.http://www.asamblea.go.cr/diputados/integracion.htm
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
, December 24, 1954), is a Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
n politician, businessman and international expert on Sustainable Development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
and Technology. He served as President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998, Minister of Foreign Trade 1986-1988, and then Minister of Agriculture 1988-1990.
Biography
José María Figueres is the son of the famous thinker and three-time president of Costa Rica, José Figueres FerrerJosé Figueres Ferrer
José María Hipólito Figueres Ferrer , served as President of Costa Rica on three occasions:1948–1949, 1953–1958, and 1970–1974....
declared “Person of the 20th Century” by the leading newspaper in Costa Rica http://www.nacion.com/dominical/1999/diciembre/19/dominical1.html. His mother, First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Karen Olsen Beck
Karen Olsen Beck
Karen Olsen Beck was First Lady of Costa Rica during the governments of Jose Figueres Ferrer 1954-1958 and 1970–1974, Legislative Assemblywoman and Ambassador of Costa Rica- Biography :...
, born in the United States to Danish immigrants, later adopted Costa Rican nationality. After being First Lady she was appointed Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to Israel in 1982. In 1990 she was elected Member of Congress for the 1990 - 1994 legislature.
With both parents actively involved in public service, José María Figueres grew up in La Lucha, a farm community his father Don Pepe founded in 1928. There José María attended the public school Cecilia Orlich Figueres, before going on to study at the Colegio Humboldt and later Lincoln High School, both in San José. Upon graduating from high school he worked for a couple of years, and then was accepted into the Corps of Cadets at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
(West Point), where he graduated with the Class of 1979, having majored in Engineering.
Upon returning to Costa Rica, he worked and later led the restructuring process of the deeply indebted family businesses, Sociedad Agroindustrial San Cristobal (SAISC), towards profitability and professional management.
Political Experience
In 1986 Nobel Peace Prize Laurate and President Óscar AriasÓscar Arias
Óscar Arias Sánchez is a Costa Rican politician who was President of Costa Rica from 2006 to 2010. He previously served as President from 1986 to 1990 and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts to end civil wars then raging in several other Central American countries.He is also a...
(1986–1990), appointed Figueres to overhaul the ailing National Railway System, INCOFER. Shortly afterwards he was appointed Minister in the Arias government, first of Foreign Trade and later of Agriculture, upon the completion of the governmental period Figueres continued his academic studies at the John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, graduating in 1991 with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.
Back in Costa Rica, Figueres declared his intention to seek the nomination of the political party he belonged to, Partido Liberación Nacional. After a heated and much-disputed primary election process involving five candidates, Figueres won the party's nomination in 1993 and went on to the national election which he won in February 1994. José María Figueres Olsen was elected President of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
for four years at the age of 39, the nation's youngest president in the 20th century.
Presidency
President Figueres promoted Sustainable DevelopmentSustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
as the integrating architecture of governmental action. This program was anchored on three pillars: Firstly, to transform the Costa Rican economy towards one of higher productivity, with special emphasis on technology. Secondly, for the Costa Rican society to express greater solidarity by opening opportunities of wellbeing for all. Thirdly, for society to develop itself in harmony with nature (from the book “Gobernando en Tiempos de Cambio: Administración Figueres Olsen, by Leonardo Garnier). The administration is credited with having worked to advance and promote further integration of Costa Rica into the globalized economy.
Government Achievements
- Reformed and reorganized many public institutions, including closing down some of them, such as Banco Anglo Costarricense and the National Railway System (INCOFER), to increase the efficiency of the State. Increased the legitimacy of the remaining public institutions to improve governance and consolidate democratic values.
- Established a coherent strategy to boost development and create qualified higher paying jobs by attracting foreign investment to Costa Rica. Created a new cluster of national high tech exports, thanks to his personal efforts in attracting INTEL to establish themselves in Costa Rica.http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=705S08
- Designed a profound reform to modernize the state-banking sector, including opening the monopoly on current accounts held by state owned banks.
- Launched several initiatives to improve national education, including a constitutional reform approved by Congres to dedicate 6% of GDP towards public education http://www.asamblea.go.cr/proyecto/constitu/const7.htm; introduced English as a second language in public schools from the first grade up; consolidated the installation of computer labs in high schools.
- Created EBAIS (Primary Teams of Basic Health Care) as an effective provider of preventive medicine in the communities, primarily by giving easy access to medical services.
- Reorganized social institutions such as the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social (IMAS) to facilitate better services for citizens of his country, thus, with the objective of enabling greater social mobility for the most vulnerable sectors of the society.
- Complied with the Agenda 21 for Sustainable Development. Ratified the international Biodiversity and Climate Change Conventions. Implemented important legislation in both areas and approved a first tax on Carbon Emissions in 1995.
- Figueres was the architect of the Centroamerican Alliance for Sustainable Development (ALIDES) signed by the region’s presidents in 1994. This regional integration agreement aimed to modernize the older Central American Common market Agreement, by creating common policies in broad-scale economic, social and environmental matters.
- Developed broad links with regional and international academic institutions. Figueres worked very closely together with leading thinkers such as Michael PorterMichael PorterMichael Eugene Porter is the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School. He is a leading authority on company strategy and the competitiveness of nations and regions. Michael Porter’s work is recognized in many governments, corporations and academic circles globally...
, Jeffrey SachsJeffrey SachsJeffrey David Sachs is an American economist and Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University. One of the youngest economics professors in the history of Harvard University, Sachs became known for his role as an adviser to Eastern European and developing country governments in the...
, and Theo Panayotou. As a result of these efforts Figueres spearheaded programs improving the competitiveness of the Central American Region, and later established the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development based at INCAEINCAEINCAE Business School is a business school located in Latin America. It has 2 locations, the Francisco de Sola campus in Nicaragua and the Walter Kissling Gam campus in Costa Rica...
, the region’s leading graduate business school. - Opened a second international airport in Liberia, Guanacaste, that helped the tourism industry flourish in the northern region of Costa Rica.
- His government was the first in modern Costa Rican history that refrained from spending during the election cycle towards the end of his mandate. Thus for the first time, the incoming government did not have to increase taxes to cover past spending.
Attacks on Government Work
President Figueres' Government was controversial to some. The most common criticisms were:- Relinquished the social democratic values of his political party in favor of more economically liberal policies.
- Closed the oldest state owned bank, Banco Anglo Costarricense, and opened up the checking account monopoly held by state owned banks since 1948.
- Shut down the National Railway System, and reformed many other government institutions creating job losses.
- Reformed the special pension fund belonging to teachers, causing the longest teacher strike in Costa Rican history.
- Foreign Policy pursued a strong alignment with Central America
International Recognition
President Figueres has received numerous international awards for his work and adherence to the tenets of Sustainable Development during Office. These include:- Kew Gardens Annual Award, 1995
- Botanic Research Institute Texas, 1996
- State Botanical Garden in Missouri, 1996
- First recipient of the Global Prize from the World Bank's Global Environmental Fund for leadership and efforts for the environment, 1998
- Liberty Prize from the Max Schmidheiny Foundation and St. Gallen University in Switzerland, 1998
- Award of the Climate Institute, Washington D.C., 1998
- Order of José Matías Delgado Grand Silver Cross from the Republic of El Salvador, 1999
- Sustainability Award in Switzerland, 2003
Figueres is also a member of the Club of Madrid
Club of Madrid
The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Composed of 80 former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 56 countries, the Club de Madrid is the world’s largest forum of former Heads of State and Government.Among...
, an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries.
International Leadership
Upon leaving government in 1998 President Figueres founded Entebbe – Fundacion Costa Rica para el Desarollo Sostenible (Costa Rican Foundation for Sustainable Development). This organization leads and promoted initiatives and projects with national and international impact that encourage the incorporation and use of modern technologies to improve the quality of life in Latin American societies. The foundation started and developed pioneering programs, such as LINCOS (Little Intelligent Communities), APVE (Clean Transport Alternatives) and CENTAIRE (Center for monitoring and evaluation of Air Quality in Central America). A large number of academic. social and communal organizations, as well as private sector partners contributed to the development of these programs.In the same field of deploying technologies to boost development, together with Nicolas Negroponte and Jeffrey Sachs, Figueres founded the “Digital Nations Consortium”, a program overseen by the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT).
In 1999 he was called upon by Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations to chair a working group on Information, Communication, Technology (ICT). He was later elected Chairman of the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (ICT).
In 2000, Figueres was appointed Managing Director of the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
, and independent international organization dedicated to improving the state of the world by bringing together world leaders to establish alliances that can influence industry, regional and global agendas. Three years later he was appointed as the first CEO of the World Economic Forum. His responsibilities included coordinating the prestigious annual meeting of the Forum in Davos
Davos
Davos is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,248 . Davos is located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, which brings together prominent corporate leaders, Heads of State and Government, as well as respected personalities from the academic, cultural and religious world. Among his achievements while at the Forum was the strengthening of bonds between the corporate world and governmental and social sectors in order to identify their common long term interests and visions.
Figueres resigned from the World Economic Forum towards the end of 2004. In March 2005, Figueres joined the Felipe IV Group in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
as its CEO. This organization supports and collaborates with institutions working in the fields of Development, Dialogue, and Democracy around the world.
Figueres has been a member of a number of boards in the environmental field. He was Chairman of LEAD
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
as well as FUNDES Internacional. He has also served as a director of the, World Wildlife Fund, the Botanic Research Institute Texas, the World Resources Institute
World Resources Institute
The World Resources Institute is an environmental think tank founded in 1982 based in Washington, D.C. in the United States.WRI is an independent, non-partisan and nonprofit organization with a staff of more than 100 scientists, economists, policy experts, business analysts, statistical analysts,...
(WRI), and the Stockholm Environment Institute
Stockholm Environment Institute
The Stockholm Environment Institute, or SEI, is a non-profit, independent research and policy institute specialising in sustainable development and environmental issues.-Mission:...
. His current positions include Earth Council Geneva, Global Fairness Initiative, Dean's Alumni Leadership Council at the John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Thunderbird
Thunderbird
-Creatures:* Thunderbird , a legendary creature in Native American culture* Dromornithidae, an extinct Australian family of birds* Thunderbird , a term used in cryptozoology to describe large, bird-like creatures-Computing:...
Board of Fellows, Dubai Recycling Park, Abraaj Capital
Abraaj Capital
Abraaj Capital is among the world's 50-biggest private equity groups, and invests in the growing Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region, a region also known as MENASA. Abraaj manages about $6.6 billion of funds and stakes in about two dozen companies, including some of the best known in...
, FRIDE, and the Club of Madrid
Club of Madrid
The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Composed of 80 former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 56 countries, the Club de Madrid is the world’s largest forum of former Heads of State and Government.Among...
where he is a founding member. He is also a member of the Global Leadership for Climate Action task force http://www.globalclimateaction.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemid=53, and Board Member of DARA (international organization).
Chemise case
In 1991, when Figueres was seen as a possible contender for the presidency, brothers David and José Romero published a book accusing Figueres of having participated in the extrajudicial execution of a drug dealer named Jose Joaquin Orozco, known as "Chemise". The basis for this allegation dated back to March 7, 1973, when the drug dealer was detained for selling marijuana, and later released by police. Shortly afterwards, he was killed and tossed into a ravine. The murder was never solved. However a Congressional Committee questioned several persons on their possible knowledge of the circumstances surrounding this death, including young Figueres, who served as a voluntary police lieutenant. The Romero brothers also filed a complaint for murderMurder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
against Figueres, but under the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
the case could no longer be opened. Figueres accused the Romero brothers of libel and in 1993 a court acquitted them while condemning their main source, former drug-enforcement officer Walter Campos. Figueres won the presidential election in 1994 and appointed his lawyer in the libel case as the new Minister of Public Safety. In 1998 another court sentenced the Romero brothers to seven years' imprisonment for making a false accusation, but that sentence was appealed and revoked due to procedural issues. In 2000, two years after Figueres left office, the legal proceeding ended with a settlement between the Romero brothers and Figueres's lawyers.
On 22 January 2002, television anchor Ignacio Santos of Channel 7 in Costa Rica, interviewed John Biehl, an international figure in Latin America and a close collaborator to President Oscar Arias during his first presidency (1986–1990). In the interview Mr. Biehl speaking on the issue of dirty politics, states that for answers on the ‘Chemise Case’ with which President Figueres was attacked during his campaign, questions should be addressed to Fernando Zumbado. Mr. Zumbado had been Minister of Housing during President Arias’ first administration, and is again a Minister in President Arias’ second term (2006 to present). During the political campaign to elect Jose Maria Figueres, Mr. Zumbado was first a contender of Mr. Figueres, and later retired to support candidate Margarita Penon, who was then married to President Arias.http://www.campanada.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=82&Itemid=9
Religion
In the middle of Figueres’ presidential campaign, anonymous allegations arguing Figueres was not Catholic were widely spread and picked up by the media. Costa Rica’s political constitution establishes the Catholic faith as the official State religion http://www.asamblea.go.cr/proyecto/constitu/const7.htm. Over 75% of Costa Ricans declare themselves Catholic https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cs.html. Figueres’ maternal grandparents were both devout Christian Scientists, hence the allegations against him. To dispel the strong rumors Monsenor Román Arrieta, Archbishop of San José and President of the Episcopal Conference http://www.iglesiacr.org/index.php was obliged to pronounce himself acknowledging José María Figueres had been baptized a Roman Catholic.Alcatel
In 2004, Costa Rica’s Attorney General opened official investigations against two other former presidents, for alleged financial misconduct. Both were placed under arrest. Shortly afterwards local media reports claimed Figueres had also received bribes from AlcatelAlcatel
Alcatel Mobile Phones is a brand of mobile handsets. It was established in 2004 as a joint venture between Alcatel-Lucent of France and TCL Communication of China....
.http://www.teletica.com/archivo/tn7/nac/especial/figueres.htmhttp://www.ticotimes.net/dailyarchive/2005_01/daily_01_31_05.htm#story1
It was revealed that Figueres Olsen received nearly US $ 900 thousand from Alcatel, for a consultation on telecommunications. Figueres was hired by the firm H.F. Desarrollos Interdisciplinarios S.A. (DISA), owned by Roberto Hidalgo, who was an advisor during his presidential term. Carmen Valverde Acosta, former Secretary General of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN by its Spanish acronym, Figueres Olsen's party) also received nearly US $ 900 thousand from DISA. Valverde elaborated texts for DISA and provided editing services through her company, Grupo de Asesores Lingüisticos Asociados. Carmen Valverde Acosta is the sister of Edgar Valverde Acosta, Alcatel general manager in Costa Rica at the time of the bribery scandal. Roberto Hidalgo signed three contracts between 2000 and 2001 with France's Alcatel intended to provide political advise to Alcatel on Costa Rican politics and interpretation of the Costa Rican reality. in total Alcatel paid Hidalgo's DISA a total amount of US $ 2,7 million, shared proportionally by the three people involved, Figueres Olsen, Hidalgo and valverde Acosta. Alcatel payments were conditional on the success of Alcatel in its dealings with the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE, by its Spanish acronym). In August, 2001 Alcatel won a contract to install 400 thousand land lines, at a cost of US $ 149 million. It also won a contract from ICE in 2002 to expand the land-line system,a project of US $ 109 million. Hidlago was also external advisor of Alcatel, receiving US 2000 per month during the first year, an amount that doubled afterwards (http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/ESPECIALES/ice-alcatel/n1027.html). The revelations of these payments triggered strong reactions from former allies of Figueres Olsen. Marco Vargas, the minister of Presidencia (Cabinet minister) during Figueres Olsen administration resigned as Figueres Olsen representative in Costa Rica. In a letter, Vargas stated that the news about Figuerres and associates dealings with Alactel, caused him to feel "surprised, annoyed, confused and even indignant" (http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/ESPECIALES/ice-alcatel/n1027.html#nota3). Oscar Arias
Óscar Arias
Óscar Arias Sánchez is a Costa Rican politician who was President of Costa Rica from 2006 to 2010. He previously served as President from 1986 to 1990 and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts to end civil wars then raging in several other Central American countries.He is also a...
stated that he felt wretched by the news of the revelations. He also stated that Figueres' actions imply "a treason to the party and the heritage of Don Pepe" (Jose Figueres Ferrer
José Figueres Ferrer
José María Hipólito Figueres Ferrer , served as President of Costa Rica on three occasions:1948–1949, 1953–1958, and 1970–1974....
, father of Jose Maria Figueres). http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/ESPECIALES/ice-alcatel/n1027.html#nota4). Arias announced at the time he intended to demand to the party authorities the expulsion of Figueres Olsen from the PLN.
On February, 2010 Alcatel announced that it will pay US $ 137 million for the briberies in Costa Rica to avoid a trial in the US for bribing officials in Costa Rica and other countries. Alcatel's operations in the US oblige it to comply with US legislation punishing bribing (http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2010/febrero/19/pais2274682.html)
Following the media allegations, Mr. Figueres was forced to resign from the World Economic Forum (WEF). The WEF issued a statement that it, "through the press, has discovered that Jose Maria Figueres had, during two and a half years, a significant contractual agreement with another enterprise while holding a directorial post in the Forum." The arrangement Figueres had with Alcatel contravenes WEF rules on outside employment (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go1655/is_2004_Nov_4/ai_n7347073/). Figueres asked the Costa Rican Internal Revenue Service to revise his financial affairs and tax returns. Both Figueres Olsen and Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier
Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier
Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier served as President of Costa Rica from 1990 to 1994. He was the presidential candidate of the Social Christian Unity Party for the national elections held in February 2010, but resigned his candidacy on 5 October 2009, when he was sentenced to five years in prison...
(a former Costa Rican president who was found guilty of several bribery and other charges) paid 107 million Costa Rican colones for undeclared revenue in 2004. Figueres Olsen presented undeclared revenues and paid (throughout his brother Mariano) a total of 67,2 million Costa Rican colones in taxes. Figueres associates, Mr. Hidalgo and Ms. Valverde also reported undeclared revenue connected with their consulting for Alcatel. By paying before the Costa Rican Tributacion Directa (Internal Tax Revenue) intervention, people receiving payments from Alcatel and other alleged bribery schemes avoided to be tried for tax fraud, a crime that could result in a 10 year prison term (http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2004/noviembre/17/pais1.html). On 5 December 2005 the Internal Revenue Service of Costa Rica notified Figueres of no financial misconduct or tax evasion with resolution number 5452000009594 dated 27 October 2005.
A Congressional Commission took it upon themselves to investigate the allegations. The Commission of Control of Public Revenue and Expenditure (Comisión de Control del Ingreso y el Gasto Público) sent a subpoena to Figueres. He ignored the Commission requests, preferring to presented them a sworn affidavit with a detailed account of his professional services in the field of technology and communications (accessible on request in the Costa Rican Congressional Records http://www.asamblea.go.cr). At the time the Commission requested the Ministry of Seguridad Pública to demand the assistance of Interpol in order to bring Mr Figueres to the country. Member of Mr. Figueres' party, the PLN in the commission also supported the resolution (http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/ESPECIALES/ice-alcatel/n1119.html#nota2). However, on 6 September 2005, Judge Maria Morales of the First Circuit Court of Costa Rica pronounced a ruling in Figueres' favour, and against the Congressional Commission's procedures. The Commission also failed to register a report on the findings before the Congress, as stipulated in Congressional Procedural Regulations.
Figueres was never summoned nor charged by the Attorney General http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2006/junio/06/pais11.html. On 19 September 2007, the Attorney General formally announced that there were no grounds on which to summon, or press any charges against Figueres. http://www.diarioextra.com/2007/octubre/02/ http://www.diarioextra.com/2007/octubre/02/nacionales01.php. Figueres resides in Europe and has not returned to Costa Rica since 2004. http://www.nacion.com/2010-04-23/ElPais/UltimaHora/ElPais2346296.aspx
It should be noted that Figueres was elected by the Liberación Nacional political party (PLN). Both other ex-Presidents formally investigated belong to a different political party, Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC). The party at power at the moment of the investigations was PUSC, the same as the two ex-presidents who were incarcerated. Of the eight members of the Congressional Commission that looked into this case, one belonged to the same political party as Figueres.http://www.asamblea.go.cr/diputados/integracion.htm