The Costa Rican government has banned a nurse-first travel agency, after it was revealed that the company had overpaid workers and had falsified documents.
The government agency called Nurse First has been in business since 2014 and is a registered travel agency and a broker with the Costa Rican travel agency Cuscos Express.
The Costa Rica travel agency said in a statement that the decision was taken on the basis of the fact that the organization was found to be violating the law by not complying with its contracts and not being compliant with Costa Rica’s internal regulatory authorities.
The Costa Rican Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Cristina Gálvez, said in the statement that in its investigation, the Costa Rica Department of Foreign Affairs and Labor (DOL) determined that Nurse First was not in compliance with the laws regarding overcharging workers, falsifying documents and not complying and that the investigation has resulted in the termination of its contracts with the company.
The statement did not specify the reasons for the decision.
The DOL also said that the Costa Ricans law enforcement authorities have taken action against Nurse First and the company and that all relevant investigations have been opened.
The agency has also taken the necessary legal measures to ensure that the safety of its employees and customers are maintained, the statement said.
The news comes after it came to light that nurse travel agency Traveler’s Choice, which operates in Costa Ricos largest city of San José, had overcharged employees and falsified the documents to secure contracts, according to local news reports.
A spokesperson for the Costa Rico tourism agency said that they have requested the attorney general to look into the company’s financial records to determine the amount of overpayments and falsification.
Traveler’s Choose said that their contract with the Ministry of Tourism and Tourism’s Office of Compliance was terminated due to the illegal practices of Nurse First.
The spokesperson said that Nurse Next, which was hired to manage and operate the Traveler, had been hired by the company in February of this year and was working on the contracts.
The travel agency has been working on contract agreements with both companies for more than two years and is not in violation of Costa Rican law.
The company is not the only one to have been accused of fraudulent practices in Costa Rican tourism.
In December, the New York Post reported that the travel agency Puma had paid over $2,400 to a Costa Rican nurse and falsifying documentation for over $1,300.
