Former Costa Rican President and Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Óscar Arias Sánchez must appear for a preliminary hearing for apparent malfeasance, or breach of public trust, regarding the open-pit mining case of Crucitas in northern Costa Rica near the Nicaraguan border.

The area was to be mined by Canadian transnational Infinito Gold who intended to exploit gold valued more than 800 million dollars, said Broad Front (Front Amplio) party legislator, Frank Camacho.

Arias is accused of signing a decree declaring open-pit mining to be an activity of public interest.

The Second Circuit Trial Court recently annulled the outcome of the preliminary hearing in the Crucitas case saying the principle of equality before the law was violated, since Arias Sánchez was not questioned in the process. The only public servant questioned in the initial court case which annulled the permit for the mine was then-Environment Minister Roberto Dobles, a relative of Arias Sanchez, said a report on Channel 7 Teletica.

But since Arias Sanchez’ signature was required for the final sign-off on an executive decree in 2008 that allowed the initial tree-clearing and other preparations for the mine, legislators and public prosecutors have called for him to appear before the court to testify.

Camacho said he supported the reopening of the case saying it was time to “end impunity and to bring to justice all those involved in acts of corruption,” according to a report in Elpais.cr, a Costa Rican digital news site.

In November 2010, a Costa Rican Administrative Court of Appeals sent the Public Prosecutor’s Office a ruling annulling Infinito Gold’s concession of the open-pit mine project on an administrative technicality.

Former President Arias was investigated for having received a supposed contribution of US$200,000 dollars for the Arias Foundation for Peace shortly before he lifted the prohibition ope- pit mining in Costa Rica, said a report in Elpais.cr.