Edgardo García Vargas withdraws Supreme Court candidacy

Attorney Edgardo García Vargas has withdrawn his candidacy for a seat on the Third Chamber (Sala Tercera) of the Costa Rican Supreme Court of Justice. The decision was announced via a letter to the Legislative Assembly’s Appointments Commission, just as the official interview process was set to begin.

García’s withdrawal follows an announcement by Deputy Marta Esquivel, head of the Appointments Commission, that she would recuse herself from evaluating his candidacy due to their professional relationship. García serves as the defense attorney for Esquivel in the “Caso Barrenador” (Borer Case), a high-profile corruption investigation involving the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) and contracts related to the administration of primary health care units (Ebáis).

With García’s exit, 19 candidates remain in the competition to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Magistrate Sandra Zúñiga Morales.