The money lent by the Bank of Costa Rica to pay the Chinese cement taxes ended up in the accounts of Sinocem Costa Rica, owned by importer Juan Carlos Bolaños.
This was indicated by Carolina Lopera, representative of the Maritime Agency Transmares, in a letter sent to the commission investigating the cementazo.
Lopera, who was called to testify but cannot come because she lives in Colombia and is 37 weeks pregnant, confirmed that the BCR turned to the maritime agency a sum of money for the payment of taxes. As the cement never entered the country and the agency did not have to do any work, Bolaños’ company gave instructions so that that money was deposited in its accounts in the National Bank.
The BCR gave Bolaños two lines of credit, the first one for $20,000,000 and the second for $10 million. That second line should be used to pay taxes but part of that money is the one that the maritime agency would have deposited with Sinocem Costa Rica in the National Bank.
Lopera did not specify the amount but was clear in saying
the relationship with the company Sinocem merely consisted in sending an invoice regarding the services rendered by my principal (cement unloading services). Days later we received a sum of money from the Bank of Costa Rica (BCR) based on the quotation for the operation of unloading said cement. Given that the service had not been provided, and on instructions from the Sinocem company, this money was transferred to the accounts of the National Bank of Costa Rica.”