A judicial inspector assigned to the Supreme Court of Costa Rica is currently under investigation for allegedly using a government vehicle to visit an underground brothel during working hours. The inspector was caught by field agents from the Office of Judicial Investigations (Spanish initials: OIJ) just as they were getting ready to execute a raid on an establishment where women were held captive and forced into prostitution.

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, agents assigned to the human trafficking section of the OIJ rescued various young women who were coerced and intimidated into working as unpaid prostitutes during a series of raids carried out in early May.

According to a news report filed by Hulda Miranda of national newspaper La Nacion, a squad of OIJ agents assembled in a neighborhood near downtown Alajuela to prepare for a raid on a covert brothel operated from an inconspicuous home. The agents established a security perimeter as they checked their weapons, equipment and warrants. Just as they were getting ready to send the breaching team across the road with shotguns and a battering ram, a marked vehicle used by the Judicial Branch pulled up to the clandestine bordello.

In Costa Rica, inspectors assigned to the Supreme Court check for compliance and also conduct field research ordered by magistrates to augment information on pending cases. Initially, the OIJ agents believed 45-year old Jesus Ramirez Campos, who is the son of a magistrate presiding the Third Chamber, was on official business; to this effect, they called judicial clerks to find out if the subject property or the suspects named on the warrants were part of an open case. In the end, it was determined that the inspector’s visit to the brothel was not official business.

For the purpose of minimizing risks and avoiding an awkward moment, the agents waited until Inspector Ramirez finished his unofficial business, which took about 30 minutes, before storming the house of ill repute. After the agents rescued the victims and arrested three suspects, they sat down with prosecutors to discuss the presence of Inspector Ramirez at the aforementioned cathouse. Corruption and misconduct charges will be filed against the inspector; ironically, his own department at the Supreme Court handles matters related to judicial conduct, and thus his colleagues and superiors will be in charge of the investigation.

It so happens that Inspector Ramirez was investigated for excessive absenteeism and for submitting fraudulent expense reports in 2011. For those transgressions, he was suspended for 30 days without pay. He is currently facing between three months and two years in prison.