SAN JOS, July 2, 2025 (AFP) - Costa Rica's Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Congress, for the first time ever, to strip the country's president of his immunity from prosecution to be tried on corruption charges.

President Rodrigo Chaves was accused by the attorney general of forcing a communications services company hired by the presidency to give $32,000 to his friend and former image advisor Federico Cruz.

The top court's unprecedented request comes against the backdrop of a clash between the judiciary and Chaves, a conservative economist and former World Bank official.

Attorney General Carlo Diaz accuses the 64-year-old president of bribery, a crime punishable by up to eight years in prison for public officials.

The court also asked for Culture Minister Jorge Rodriguez to be stripped of his immunity for the same reason.

According to the accusation, the communications company was contracted for Chaves's 2022-2026 term with funds from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration under an allegedly improper procedure.

The president has not reacted so far, but ruling party leader Pilar Cisneros called the tribunal's request "ridiculous," saying Chaves had nothing to do with the communications contract.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez said he has "a clear conscience and a clean record."

- Political belligerence -
Chaves accuses the public prosecutor's office, the Supreme Court and Congress of blocking his policy initiatives.

The feud has sparked a standoff between the branches of government in a country long seen as a beacon of democracy and stability in a crime-ridden region.

Chaves defeated centrist former president Jose Maria Figueres in 2022 and began a four-year mandate focused on reinvigorating the flagging economy.

He is not allowed to seek a second consecutive term, but politicians close to him have not ruled out his running for a seat in Congress in 2026.

Chaves's profile as a hardline populist leader favors him in the polls.

He has voiced hope that his party will win a supermajority in Congress in next February's presidential and legislative elections that will enable it to implement a series of reforms.

Chaves routinely criticizes opposition parties, judges, prosecutors, legislators, and critical media.

He is an admirer of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and months ago sent his justice minister to visit the gang-busting leader's mega-prison, whose harsh conditions have alarmed rights campaigners.