The passports of two German citizens awaiting trial in Costa Rica cannot be held by judicial officials and must be immediately turned over to the Embassy. Such was the demand sent by the German Consulate to the Honorable Judge Yorleny Campos of the criminal court division, Second Circuit of San Jose, earlier this week.

According to a news report filed by Daniel Chinchilla Salazar of daily tabloid Diario Extra, the letter signed by Stephanie Lindermayr indicates that the passports of two men accused of money laundering, fraud and elder abuse belong to the Bundesrepublik Deutschland and thus must be sent to the Embassy right away and without hesitation.

The two German expat have been identified by the last names of Muñoz and Strauch. Prosecutors assert that Muñoz, in conspiracy with Strauch, forced his elderly father to transfer two certificates of deposit valued at more than three million dollars to their accounts.

Per the charge sheet and the statements by prosecutors during the preliminary hearing, the initial charges of fraud and elderly abused were enhanced to money laundering since the suspects allegedly attempted to structure the coerced transfer to various accounts. This attempt at structuring actually backfired since it aroused the suspicion of bank clerks.

After their arrest, the German expats were remanded to custody because the prosecutors believe that they pose a flight risk, particularly since defendant Muñoz was caught trying to escape Costa Rica through a land border before a court appearance.

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, law enforcement officers, social workers and judicial officials have been paying closer attention to incidence of elder abuse in recent years. In 2015, a corporate officer at Banco Popular, a state-sponsored bank in Costa Rica, was investigated for her alleged role in defrauding an elderly expat with help from her father, who played the part of a scheming dandy.