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Two Traffic Officials Arrested For Extorting Bribes From Drivers

The new Ley de Tránsito has been a hot topic for the past 26 days, as the high fines, new point system and zero tolerance by the Policía de Tránsito has made the headlines and has begun a change in Costa Rica's social culture.

However, to enterprising Tránsito (traffic) officials decided to take advantage of the new law and accused of trying to fill their pockets with "mordidas" (bribes).

As such, the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) responded to charges filed against two Tránsitos who on Thursday were detained in Jacó for allegedly extorting money from a foreigner to avoid a traffic ticket.

The accusation was that the two officials, identified by the last names Jiménez Herrera and Jiménez Chavarría, were "hunting" for "foreigner clients".

One the them Jiménez Herrera is not stranger to accusations of accepting bribes as he has a history of accusations.

For now the two officials have been suspended from duty for a month waiting a preliminary hearing.

Article 340 of the Código Penal (Penal Code) calls for a prison term of two to eight years for a public official who abuses his or her authority.

The investigation of the two officials had been ongoing for several months, as various drivers had complained of being asked to pay a bribe but never filed an official complaint.

The man who filed the complaint that led to the arrest on Thursday was not identified but said to be a North American who did not want the officials to go without being punished.

The North American filed the complaint Wednesday night, saying that he was intercepted by three traffic officials from Jacó who gave him a breathalyzer test that proved negative.

The tourist, who was travelling with his wife and daughter, said the official demanded us$1.000, the reduced it to $600 when told him he did not have that kind of cash on hand and finally handed over $100 to the official.

The OIJ explained that the man could not say what offence he had committed as he was never told by the officials.