SAN JOSE, Sept 23, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Costa Rica's President Rodrigo Chaves on Monday survived a vote in Congress on stripping him of his immunity so that he could be tried for corruption.

The motion to remove his immunity garnered 34 votes in favor to 21 against, falling four votes short of the 38 votes needed for the motion to pass in the 57-seat unicameral legislature.

Chaves, 64, was accused of abusing his power to favor another person -- a crime punishable by up to eight years in prison.

On July 1, the Supreme Court upheld a request by state prosecutors to lift his immunity -- a first for a leader of the Central American nation.

The case has rocked a country long seen as a beacon of democracy and stability in a region plagued by coups and insecurity.

State prosecutors accused Chaves of forcing a communications agency hired by the presidency to give $32,000 to his friend and former image advisor, Federico Cruz.

According to investigators, the presidency flouted procedures by using funds from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration to hire the communications company.

Culture Minister Jorge Rodriguez also faces a request for his immunity to be stripped on the same charges.

Chaves, who is prevented by law from seeking a second consecutive term, has accused the opposition of an "attempted judicial coup d'etat."

He refused to attend Monday's debate in Congress, saying he did not want to give the proceedings a "veneer of legitimacy."

Felipe Alpizar, a professor of political science at the University of Costa Rica, told AFP that while the vote "closes this chapter of the story," Chaves could face a trial when his term ends.