Costa Rica lawmaker Marta Esquivel accuses audit office and seeks pension‑system overhaul

Deputy Marta Esquivel, a former executive of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), publicly denounced the country's Contraloría General, alleging it shielded officials responsible for the flawed “Caso Barrenador” report that triggered a criminal investigation into alleged overpricing of health‑care contracts. She claimed the audit office avoided reviewing the document’s irregularities and that the investigation was politically motivated.

In a separate legislative initiative, Esquivel introduced a bill to transfer administration of non‑contributory pension programs from the CCSS to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MTSS). The proposal cites a backlog of nearly 34,000 pending pension applications and argues that moving the programs will improve response times and reduce strain on the health‑insurance system. The bill would amend multiple statutes and set a twelve‑month deadline for the transition.