He is our Honorary Consul to Costa Rica but tonight there is nothing honorable about Javier Villoy who is sitting in a San Jose, Costa Rica jail cell awaiting the outcome of an investigation into alleged bank fraud. 7NEWS has confirmed that late last month Villoy, who is our chief representative in Costa Rica, was jailed after prosecutors there started a probe into financial irregularities at the Elca Bank. Villoy was a top aide to the Bank's President Carlos Alvarado who is tonight also in jail. Both men along with another top aide are under arrest pending the outcome of a 90 day probe into various irregularities at the bank.
CEO in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Sylvestre told 7NEWS today that Villoy, who is a Costa Rican national, has been suspended pending the outcome of the judicial proceedings. Sylvestre says they were informed of Villoy's arrest by Costa Rican authorities who told them the charges were brought against him due to money laundering. What does this mean for Belize? Well an Honorary Consul is about the same as an Ambassador except he doesn't collect a paycheck. As Honorary Consul, Villoy issued visas to Belize and was a liaison between Belizean and Costa Rican authorities. The businessman was appointed Honorary Consul to Costa Rica after the 1998 elections.