Costa Rica President Takes Polygraph, Asks All Officials to Follow

When Costa Rica's President Laura Fernández wanted to show her commitment to fighting organized crime, she didn't just talk about it. She took a polygraph test herself.

Now the 39-year-old leader is asking every official involved in her new anti-crime initiative to follow her lead. On Friday, she expanded an earlier request to include not just police commanders but also judges and lawmakers who attend her weekly security meetings.

"Polygraph for everyone," Fernández told reporters. "I already took it myself without any problem, and so did the vice presidents."

The tests are part of "Fuerza Élite" (Elite Force), a weekly working group Fernández launched to coordinate the government's response to drug trafficking. Every Monday, police chiefs, ministers, and judicial officials gather at the Ministry of Public Security to review crime data and plan strategy.

Fernández's push for transparency comes after Costa Rica extradited its first citizen to the United States on international drug trafficking charges. Celso Gamboa, a former magistrate and prosecutor, now faces trial in American courts. The case shook public confidence in Costa Rica's institutions.

The president has been clear that the polygraph tests aren't mandatory punishments. She frames them as a way to build "an environment of mutual trust" among the different branches of government working together on crime.

Early results show the collaborative approach may be working. Crimes against life dropped 13.3% in 2026 compared with 2025, though Fernández says there's more work to do.

The Bright Side

While polygraph tests remain controversial in scientific circles, Fernández's decision to take one herself before asking others shows a rare willingness among political leaders to submit to the same standards they request of their teams. The American Psychological Association and most courts don't accept polygraph results as definitive proof, but Costa Rica is using them differently: not as evidence in trials, but as a voluntary trust-building tool.

By personally modeling the behavior she wants to see, Fernández is demonstrating accountability at the highest level. She's also bringing together officials from all three branches of government for weekly collaboration on one of Costa Rica's most pressing challenges.

The weekly crime reviews have already helped officials identify gang activity patterns across six major regions. As Costa Rica faces rising drug-related violence, having judges, police, and lawmakers in the same room every week represents a new level of institutional cooperation.

When leaders are willing to go first, they make it easier for everyone else to follow.