SAN JOSE, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Costa Rica's Supreme Court on Tuesday requested Congress, in an unprecedented move, to strip President Rodrigo Chaves of his legal immunity from prosecution so he can stand trial on corruption charges.

The court ruled 15-7 in favor of referring the case to the legislature for final approval.

Chaves was accused by the attorney general of forcing a communications services company contracted by the presidency to transfer 32,000 U.S. dollars to his former image advisor, Federico Cruz. The case came to light in 2023 after leaked audio recordings that allegedly revealed discussions about the contracts.

Chaves has denied the accusations, and his office has not yet commented on the ruling. Enditem