Answers to your questions

Issues of concern

 

 

We have received a great deal of E-mail in response to the EBS message that was sent out August 3rd.  From your letters it is apparent that we have not dealt adequately with the two topics that will be addressed here.

 Many of you stated that you did not know John Manners personally but were grateful for his service and dedication to the cause. We have been remiss in keeping you informed of his whereabouts and condition.  This is due in part to his reluctance to have us "make a big deal" about his situation.  (We have been chastised about this before.)  But you deserve an update.

 John returned to Costa Rica at the end of June and was here for two weeks while he got caught up with UCCR matters, and checked out the possibility of receiving the recommended chemotherapy and radiation therapy here.

 He concluded that treatment in CR was not an option and returned to Long Island, New York, where the surgery had been performed.  >From what he tells us, John is doing well, and he sounds and behaves like the John Manners who has led this organization since its inception.  He expects to have therapy for five or six months.  We communicate regularly.  He is well aware of what is going here and does not hesitate to make known his ideas and opinions.

 The second topic is: "If Luis Enrique has the money, why doesn't he pay us?"

 We have attempted to answer this before, but it seems that many investors either do not understand or do not believe the answer that we have given.  Therefore, we will try again.

 In November 2002 when Osvaldo was jailed summarily as he presented himself for a hearing at the courthouse, Enrique had good reason to believe that he would be next on the list.  He also rightly believed that he could not protect our money from confiscation by the government if he were confined to a jail cell.  So he left Costa Rica for the purpose of insuring that all investor money was secured in foreign accounts.

 When his name was placed on the Interpol list as a fugitive of Costa Rican justice in December of 2002, he had no choice but to accept additional requirements on those accounts.  He was obliged to sign documents in which he agreed to refrain from any attempt to withdraw or transfer funds until such time as the charges against him should be totally removed.  Luis Enrique considered this to be a necessary measure to shield those accounts from discovery and possible confiscation by the Costa Rican government.  (It is no accident that Walter Espinoza failed to locate those accounts.)

 Luis Enrique Villalobos was so confident that his brother would receive a fair trial and that he would be exonerated that a month before the trial began he was preparing to set up an office with staff in another country so that he would be ready to repay investors.  Even after Osvaldo was exonerated of the money laundering accusation, Enrique thought that certification of this fact would suffice to rescind the restrictions placed upon his accounts.

 Not so.  Luis Enrique learned that the accounts would remain inaccesible until all charges are removed.  He also needs to be taken off the Interpol list, and this requires the intervention of those who put him there.  To obtain this he will have to relinquish his fugitive status by returning to Costa Rica and surrendering himself to the authorities.  This act would set in motion a settlement plan previously negotiated and agreed upon by both parties.

 It appears that a precedent has been set by the Milanes case, but keep in mind that there are important differences that distinguish the two cases.  Nonetheless, we feel that a negotiated settlement offers the best chance (and possibly the only one) of achieving a resolution satisfactory to all concerned.

 We will continue to work to bring the parties together.

 

Thank you.

 

 

Grupo UCCR
www.ticostuff.com/uccr
uccr@ticostuff.com