| Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier | |
|---|---|
| 43rd President of Costa Rica | |
| In office 8 May 1990 – 8 May 1994 |
|
| Preceded by | Óscar Arias Sánchez |
| Succeeded by | José María Figueres |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 March 1949 Diriamba, Nicaragua |
| Political party | PUSC |
| Spouse(s) | Gloria Bejarano Almada |
| Profession | lawyer, politician |
Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier (born in Diriamba, Nicaragua, on 14 March 1949) served as President of Costa Rica from 1990 to 1994. He was the presidential candidate of the Social Christian Unity Party for the national elections held in February 2010, but resigned his candidacy on 5 October 2009, when he was sentenced to five years in prison for two counts of corruption.
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Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier was born in Diriamba, Nicaragua, on 14 March 1949. His father was Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, who served as president from 1940 to 1944. His mother was Rosarito Fournier Mora. He was born while his parents were in exile.
Calderon Fournier is married to Gloria Bejarano Almada. They have four children: Rafael Ángel, Gloria del Carmen, María Gabriela y Marco Antonio. They also have four grandchildren: Alex, Gloria, Tom and Daniel. Calderon Fournier's sister, Alejandra, a troskist leader, died in an accident in 1979, at the age of 25.
Calderon started his primary education at the Colegio de Mexico, led by Marist Fathers. Calderón Fournier returned to Costa Rica in 1958, when he was nine year old. Echandi Mario Jimenez (persident 1958–1962) was elected that year and he allowed the return of political exiles, including former president Calderon Guardia.
He attended his secondary education at the Colegio La Salle in San José, Costa Rica. Calderón Fournier studied law at the University of Costa Rica.
Calderon Fournier was elected secretary of secondary education issues of the Partido Unificacion Nacional (PUN). At 20 he was elected President of the Youth of the PUN. Shortly after the death of his father in 1970, he was appointed to the board of the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social. In that capacity he participated in the drafting of the new regulations of the retirement systems of the country.
He was elected congressman in 1974 and served for two consecutive terms as chairman of the Committee on Social Affairs. Among other important bills, the commission adopted the Law on Social Development and Family Allowances, which gave the country a non-contributory pension scheme, which now covers more than a hundred thousand elderly (citation required).
In 1991 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Houston.
After an alleged corruption scandal he was incarcerated in October 2004.[1][2][3] He was released from jail and was placed under house arrest.[4]
His trial started on 3 November 2008, and the hearings finished in September 2009.
In spite of the charges, he had officially announced his candidacy for the Presidency of Costa Rica in 2010 elections.
On 5 October 2009. Calderón was sentenced to 5 years in prison.[5] He walked out of the court room and notified the press that he would appeal the sentence and that he was not running for president in order to focus on his appeal.[6]
On 11 May 2011 Calderon Fournier was appeal was rejected by the tribunal (the so-called Sala III). The judges confirmed the previous sentence. However, they reduced the term to serve in prison from five to three years. According to the Costa Rican law, he can be expected not to serve this time in prison. Sala III ratifies Calderon's sentence. Calderon's wife, Mrs. Gloria Bejarano Almada, who currently serves as a deputy at the Asamblea Legislativa (congress of the country) and who is a member of the parliament's directorate, was sentenced to pay US $ 70 000 to the Costa Rican government for her participation in the scandal. According to the ruling, Mrs. Bejarano Almada obtained an economic profit in the scandal In Spanish -Bejarano should pay US $ to the State.
| Preceded by Óscar Arias |
President of Costa Rica 1990–1994 |
Succeeded by José María Figueres |
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