www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Today's AM Costa Rica. It's a little hard to follow but it shows how you can get played. This Brit bought a big chunk that borders Los Suenos Resort. If I am reading it right, four razor sharp, very well connected Tico's (family of LaNacion owner; another the largest contractor in CR) paid a squatter "a Tico fortune" to sell them the land afterwards. Adverse possession by squatters is a CR nightmare. His You Tube video explanation is embedded, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gWphldDYYI which is now the source of a defamation suit against him. 14 year battle, numerous trials, two appeals. Food for Greengo.

Expat faces defamation charge over YouTube video

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

"Sheldon Hazeltine, the self-described Anglo-American, who is fighting to keep ownership of land in the Central Pacific, has been served with a criminal notice for defamation.

Hazeltine reported this Wednesday, the same day that a separate criminal hearing against him and his lawyer was postponed in Puntarenas court.

Hazeltine is the man who made a 7-minute, 14-second YouTube video describing his 14-year court fight to keep the land he and his partners own. The video is at the heart of the defamation allegation.

The complaint came from Armando González Fonseca of Curridabat, Fuad Farach Abdalah of San Rafael de Escazú, Ricardo Jiménez Montealegre of Sánchez de Curridabat and Otto Giovanni Ceciliano Mora of Santa Lucia de Barva, Heredia.

The case was filed July 24 by Ceciliano Mora, a lawyer. He said that at trial he will show that the video has offended the dignity, decorum, reputation and good name of those bringing the case. The lawyer notes that removing the video from YouTube is unlikely with the order of a judge, suggesting that he may seek this at trial. The lawyer also entered into evidence a translation of the video by an official translator. The filing also contains statements from those bringing the case that the video has caused damage to family and commercial life.
Defamation in Costa Rica is covered by article 146 of the penal code, which says someone will be penalized with from 20 to 70 days fine for dishonoring another or publishing any sort of material to affect reputation. There also would be the prospect of a civil money award upon conviction.

So far, the YouTube video has had 7,519 views.

However, article 149 provides truth as a defense, particularly if the statements are in the public interest.

The filing by the lawyer makes much of his arrest last year. Hazeltine said in the video that according to local newspapers Ceciliano has three convictions and had been detained in December in a case related to drugs, arms trafficking and money laundering. Ceciliano explains in the filing that he was freed in January by a judge because he was a lawyer and the judge said that he was not part of a criminal ring but just exercising his legal profession as a defensor.

Hazeltine has five days to file an answer to the criminal charge with the court.

Hazeltine said by telephone Wednesday that the Puntarenas criminal case was postponed until October. This is a forgery case brought by González Fonseca challenging Hazeltine's right to represent the corporation that owns the disputed land in a civil case. Hazeltine and his lawyer, Horacio Mejias Portuguez, have been cleared in two trials. But each time the acquittal was annulled on appeal for technical reasons. Even the local prosecutor has supported the pair and says there was no forgery."

There are big-time slander/defamation laws in Costa Rica ! You have to be careful.

Or if he was a member of CRT, he may have seen this: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=35736

_________________
* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

A place like Barbados would have been a better fit for a guy like Hazeltine. Latin minds sometimes get the best of even the most astute investors.

Wow...nothin like Greengo demolishing the fantasy

Greengo does have a way with words....No way, no how would I even think about buying anything in CR....the land of scams.....

Gringo says: "the ticos cant believe gringos are so stupid..its a running joke among the entire population".
I remember another of his quotes, essentially "that they hate us, but they don't know why."

Hard to swallow, but as Donald Rumsfeld said when he was Sec of Defense during Iraq :

"There are known knowns; there are things we know that we know.
There are known unknowns; that is to say there are things that, we now know we don't know.
But there are also unknown unknowns – there are things we do not know, we don't know. ”

I guess I fit into the second group.

He is simply advising us to use Extreme Caution and informing us that the Latin culture is very different than the USA culture.

Treat Costa Rica the way we would treat a Strip Club. Trust no one or nothing. Use high school logic.

Look at every business transaction like a '3 card Monty' on the city street.

Enjoy Costa Rica as you would Disney Land.

_________________
* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

Agreed. I, like many, have entertained the idea of buying something in Latin America. Greengo drives home the fallacy of that fantasy. I WOULD NEVER get involved in real estate down there.

I think you are full of shit!

Yea, but it's entertaining. 90% of his rants are outright nonsense and innuendo with no actual facts to back them up. Interestingly I have not met a single person who says they ever met anyone who ID himself as "Greengo". Also word on the street is he owns property up on the hill near Ticquica so kind of strange he chastises people who are thinking of buying property. Maybe some ticos screwed him over so he has a personal vendetta.

Anyway if you accept his writing as entertainment not as factual information its all good. Still trying to solve the mystery of whay someone who thinks Panama is heaven and Costa Rica is hell continues to live in Costa Rica.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Oh, I'm thinking you could have a little fun by using a hidden IP and releasing some stuff they consider "defamation" down here. Perhaps I will need some amusement one of these rainy weekends.

Don't know if that's 100% untrackable, Steve1 will, but it would be a lot smarter than doing what this guy did and recording it for release on You Tube.

Like in the US, truth is an absolute defense to defamation in CR, but he's the visiting team and the ump's are from the homie's town.

I love Greengo because he is so untouchable. In all the years I have yet to see anybody get a rise out of him.

Who is Greengo? Is he one of us? Is he Zorro? Who knows, but the Shadow do!

I think he is so wrong. Bad mouthing all Costa Ricans so. Maybe 1% do as he drivels on about. Some things you just shouldn't do as a poster around here and that is to insult the whole Costa Rican population. imo