Moves in Nicaragua aimed at put-ting former president Arnoldo Aleman on trial for corruption could serve as a wake-up call for corrupt civil servants in Latin America, visiting Nicaraguan Vice President Jose Rizo Castellon said yesterday.
"The right lesson is that it's a good example for many poor countries in Latin America to learn that civil servants should work in the government to serve the na-tion, not to serve themselves," said the 58-year-old Rizo.
Nicaragua is one of Taiwan's diplomatic allies.
"Corruption is everywhere, but it's even worse in a poor country like Nicaragua because it'll prevent the most vulnerable people from having hospitals, schools and medicine," Rizo said.
Rizo made the remarks during an interview with the Taipei Times yesterday morning prior to his trip to Chiayi County, where he was to receive an honorary doctorate from Nanhua University.
Rizo arrived at the head of a four-member delegation on Sunday for a five-day visit.
Rizo said that corruption was one of the campaign issues both he and President Enrique Bolanos highlighted during the presidential election. Since taking office in January Bolanos has tackled the problem head on, Rizo said.
Ironically, when Aleman was president, Bolanos served as his vice president. And Rizo had worked for Aleman ever since Aleman was the mayor of the Nicaraguan capital.
Rizo said "it's a pity" that the corruption charges against his former boss have split the unity of the ruling Nicaraguan Liberal Party (PLC). The cracks within the PLC have become all the more evident as 50 percent of the party's leaders decided to name a separate board of directors loyal to Bolanos.
Rizo added that during the election campaign, he and Bolanos never used any money that was not clearly earmarked for political purposes, in accordance with the law.
He also said that Taiwan has nothing to do with Aleman's alleged corruption.
"There is no proof at all," he said.
Aleman has been accused of funneling around US$100 million out of the government coffers to bank accounts belonging to his friends and relatives. He has denied any wrongdoing.
In September, dissidents from the PLC joined deputies from the opposition left-wing Sandinista party to dismiss Aleman from his post as president of the National Assembly.
The move came after several attempts to strip Aleman of his parliamentary immunity were blocked by legislators within the PLC camp who were loyal to the former president.
Both supporters and opponents of Aleman have enjoyed even numbers within the parliament, said Rizo, who has been deemed as a promising candidate for the next presidential election.
The call to bring Aleman to justice has enjoyed wide public support in Nicaragua and backing from the international community.
RSS