Former Costa Rican priest sentenced to prison for abuse

A Costa Rican court sentenced a former priest on Wednesday to 20 years in prison over a 2003 sexual abuse scandal, reported The Associated Press.

Former priest Mauricio Viquez used his position to abuse at least one teenager, said the country’s judicial branch in a statement.

“The prosecution proved that Viquez abused his position of power and authority, his status as a priest and the confidence the victim had in him to carry out sexual attacks against the victim,” according to the statement.

Viquez fled from Costa Rica in 2018. In 2019, the roman Catholic Churched expelled him from the priesthood over the abuse accusations. The former priest was extradited from Mexico back to the Central American country in 2021.

Viquez’s abuse case led to a police raid in 2019 on the Roman Catholic Church offices in San Jose.

The case also led Costa Rica to lengthen the statute of limitations for sex crimes to up to 25 years.

The court said that the sentence can be appealed.