The Arias administration has suffered its first casualty.  Samuel Schactel Cawer, a businessman who was sworn in last week to the board of directors of the country’s petroleum monopoly, has resigned under pressure.

The minister of the Presidencia, Rodrigo Arias Sánchez, asked for the resignation when the Partido Acción Cuidadana announced that Schactel had a full administrative power of a company that was in arrears with the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social.

The new board of directors of the Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo was sworn in May 17. Among them was Schactel. The issue came up in the Asamblea Legislative, and the man’s resignation was announced almost immediately.

Schactel was quoted as saying that the company involved has been in a form of bankruptcy for years and he had no authority there but that he resigned for the sake of the Óscar Arias administration.