Five months before the end of his term, just when he insisted on the need for more taxes, the government of Luis Guillermo Solís spent ¢ 4.264 billion in the purchase of a plane from the government of the United States.
The aircraft King Air 250 Slick was purchased very quickly. The opening of the contest began on December 8th, 2017 and it was awarded only three days later, as shown on the Purchases with Public Funds page of the Comptroller General of the Republic.
The Ministry of Public Security bought the plane for the fight against drug trafficking. In parallel, ¢5,521 million were also allocated for four patrol ships, also from the North American government.
Former Minister Gustavo Mata justified the millionaire disbursement as part of the actions to fight drug trafficking. Mata added that the US government will equip them with all the requirements to patrol the country in the fight against drug trafficking. The equipment will cost ¢ 2,267 million.
In fact, last January Mata highlighted the purchase in an interview with CRHoy.com.
I had to leave the structure to protect the country. The next president has to know the next step must be a strong investment in prevention,”
said the minister at the time.
On Tuesday afternoon, the purchase caused adverse reactions from the opposition in the Legislative Assembly.