Liberia Hospital reprimands former chief for omitting data in sworn statements

The Dr. Enrique Baltodano Briceño Hospital imposed a published written reprimand on Luis Miguel Morales Jiménez, who served as the head of Network Services 3, for omitting information in his 2024 Initial and 2025 Annual sworn statements of assets. The sanction was made known through a sanctioning edict published in La Gaceta No. 179 on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, with the official reference IN202601121895. The document was issued in Liberia, Guanacaste, on July 28, 2026, by the acting director Tatiana Guzmán Coto.

The edict is issued based on the Law against Corruption and Illicit Enrichment in Public Service, No. 8422, and in compliance with the resolution of the Comptroller General of the Republic No. 8582-2026 (DJ-1224), dated July 6, 2026, at 11:30 hours. Publication in the Official Gazette is the established mechanism to give effect to these types of sanctions, which pertain to the duty of probity of public servants.

The case originated from the administrative infraction of omitting information in the sworn statement of assets, both in its 2024 Initial and 2025 Annual versions, which were submitted outside the legally established deadlines. The sanctioning hospital is a center of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund located in Liberia, Guanacaste, and the act is published on page 104 of the edition.

The Imputed Misconduct

• Sanctioned person: Luis Miguel Morales Jiménez, identity card 5-0336-0855.
• Position held: head of Network Services 3 of the Dr. Enrique Baltodano Briceño Hospital.
• Infraction: omission of information in the 2024 Initial and 2025 Annual sworn statements of assets.
• Noted circumstance: submission outside the legally established deadlines.

Legal Basis and Procedure

The sanction is supported by Article 29, paragraph 1, paragraph 2, subparagraphs a), b) and e), and paragraph 3, as well as Article 38, paragraph j) and Article 39, paragraph a) of the Law Against Corruption and Illicit Enrichment in Public Service. The administrative act was issued in Liberia, Guanacaste, on July 28, 2026, and was signed by the acting director Tatiana Guzmán Coto.

The written reprimand is published in the Official Gazette, such that the notification is completed with the dissemination of the edict. The document appears on page 104 of La Gaceta No. 179 and bears the reference IN202601121895.

Scope of the Sanction

• Type of sanction: written reprimand published in the Official Gazette.
• Issuing body: Dr. Enrique Baltodano Briceño Hospital.
• Applied norm: Law No. 8422.
• Administrative precedent: resolution No. 8582-2026 (DJ-1224) of the Comptroller General of the Republic.
• Date of the act: July 28, 2026.
• Date of publication: September 23, 2026.

The dissemination of the edict confirms that the omission of information in the sworn statement of assets remains a punishable offense in the Costa Rican public sector, even for hospital service heads. For readers, the case demonstrates that the breach of the duty of probity is pursued through administrative procedures whose resolution is made public in the Official Gazette, regardless of whether the person no longer holds the position.

Source: La Gaceta, No. 179 of Wednesday, September 23, 2026, p. 104 (official reference: IN202601121895).