The Costa Rican judiciary celebrates five years of a successful restorative justice program that has now earned its place as part of the country's public policy, said the judiciary press office in a statement this week. The nationwide program has linked its efforts to all sectors of the government as well as private and civic groups, and its work to rehabilitate adult and juvenile criminals ove...

Do you or your child need a cédula, or to register other vital statistics? People living in the area of Paquera, Cóbano and Mal Pais/Montezuma can access these services this month and next on a field visit by Costa Rica Civil Registry / Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE - Registro Civil) officials, without having to make a trip to San José. Door-to-door visits to Mal Pais will take place May 2...

The consular section at U.S. Embassy in San José announces a consular outreach event in San Ramón on Wednesday, May 31. "Embassy staff will be available to accept adult passport renewals, perform notarial services, and take your inquiries on federal benefits and voting," said the consular section in a statement. "Got questions? ACS Chief Ben Peracchio and representatives of the con...

A Costa Rican court today sentenced a Costa Rican man named José Enrique Ríos Pérez to 10 years in prison on finding him guilty of raping a female Canadian tourist on March 31, 2016. On the day of the incident, the man and the tourist, whose identity was not disclosed by officials, met and talked in a bar, and then went to the defendant's house where she was going to pick up some coconut oil, a...

The Costa Rican Medical Professionals Association (Colegio de Médicos y Cirujanos) recently issued an alert to drivers in Costa Rica to avoid scams when getting the medical certificate required to obtain or renew a license. There have also been changes to the medical certificate procedures, as now all certifications are entered into a digital system. To avoid falling victim to a scam, and pa...

Costa Rican authorities announced they would reinforce security, including streamlining procedures to expel foreigners linked to criminal activities, following a series of recent crimes that have shocked the country. "Acts of violence in recent days have raised a justified alarm in the population and motivated new calls for attention to all authorities to intensify the fight against drug traffi...

Many in Costa Rica are groaning at the specter of the newly approved ‘tax on legal entities,” better known as the corporate tax law, which is soon to go into effect. If you have a car, house or other personal property held in an inactive or “shelf” company, you will be required to pay a yearly tax on the company, though inactive companies pay the lowest rate. However, the government is givin...

The Costa Rican Comptroller’s Office (CGR) has taken on the challenge of inspiring citizens to be proactive in exercising their rights and understanding their responsibilities. The “Juntos Somos Mas” (Together We Are More) campaign was launched last year and works mainly through public schools to instill the civic notions of public responsibility, working for the common good, non-discrimination...

The Second Judicial Circuit’s Criminal Court has set a September date for the trial of four doctors from Costa Rica’s public health system and a man of Greek origin for allegedly contacting poor people to illegally extract their organs, reported national Costa Rican media today. The Public Security Ministry, who made the accusation against the Costa Rican Social Security Agency (CCSS) doctors a...

The Pulitzer Prize is a recognition given by the University of Columbia in New York, for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature and musical composition. This year the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists received this prize for their work in the Panama Papers in the category Explanatory Reporting. This investigation exposed the hidden structure us...

The Minister of Environment and Energy (Minae) Edgar Gutiérrez testified last week before the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly about the presence of 150 illegal wells along the coast in the district of ​​Santa Cruz, Guanacaste in the county of Nicoya. “The wells could jeopardize the water resource of the canton, since they threaten to end or contaminate the underground aquifers, leaving the com...

Neil Gorsuch on Monday was sworn in as the country's latest Supreme Court justice after being nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Senate, thus filling the high court seat that had been vacant for more than a year. At a public ceremony in the White House Rose Garden with the other high court justices and assorted other officials in attendance, Justice Anthony Kennedy adminis...

A petition challenging restrictions on Internet usage approved by Sutel was brought before the Costa Rican Constitutional Court by the National Ombudsman’s Office (Defensoría de los Habitantes) earlier this month. The court has asked for further clarifications before reaching a decision as to whether to suspend or uphold the new policy, called "uso justo" or "just use", approved by the telecomm...

US President Donald Trump would like to see the United Kingdom remain engaged with Europe following Brexit, the White House said Wednesday after the British government formally notified the European Union that it was starting the process of withdrawal from the bloc. "Whatever the future EU-UK relationship looks like, we want the UK to remain a strong leader in Europe," spokesman Sean Spicer tol...

The Costa Rican Judiciary sent out a message yesterday mourning the death of another woman at the hands of her partner. The Observatory on Gender Violence Against Women and Access to Justice is a relatively new judicial agency dedicated to tracking violence against women, making legal and court services available to women who are victims of violence, and to observing the judiciary’s response to...

The Financial Control Police (PCF) of the Costa Rica Treasury (Ministerio de Hacienda) carried out an important operation today in which they seized over 20 million cigarettes valued in one million dollars, they also confiscated cash and weapons. This action had the support of the National Security and Intelligence Office and it is part of a joint investigation both offices had been working on for...

Have you witnessed corruption in a court or judicial setting? Do you sense foul play and think you know who might be responsible? To aid the Costa Rican judiciary in fighting corruption within its ranks, there is now a free, confidential, 24-hour hotline where you can report your concerns. The resource is part of the Costa Rica Supreme Court of Justice's anti-corruption policy, said the judi...

A total of six Salvadorans have been arrested for their involvement in a shootout that left six people dead in downtown San Salvador, the head of the National Civil Police (PNC), Howard Cotto, confirmed at a press conference on Thursday. Cotto said that private security guard Hector Antonio Morales, 52, was murdered by three members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) gang, one of whom was captured ...

The White House on Tuesday reported that the president of the United States paid $38 million in taxes on an income of $150 million in his 2005 tax return. The government disclosed the information ahead of an upcoming report by television network MSNBC, which announced Tuesday it had obtained part of Donald Trump's tax returns and intended to reveal it. "You know you are desperate for ratings...

When is the last time you texted while driving or answered an urgent call before pulling over? Living in Costa Rica, without the ease of finding shoulders on main roads, maneuvering overcrowded streets, and dealing with harried schedules, we are all guilty of texting while driving on occasion. It is no secret that taking your eyes off the road while driving, even for a fraction of a second, ...

If you have a post-paid mobile Internet plan with the Costa Rican Electric Institute (ICE), you may want to dig out your contract. Starting this month, all post-paid mobile Internet plan holders will have their Internet speeds docked down to the slowest speed (128 kps) if they exceed the maximum download amount stipulated in their plan. This lower speed, if a user exceeds their quota, will appl...

A regional proposal by the Costa Rican Judiciary’s Restorative Justice Program was chosen from more than eighty projects submitted to an international competition organized by the European Union. The program proposes a regional approach to restorative justice, and will receive support from the European Union for its implementation, said European Union Ambassador Pelayo Castro Zuzuarregui. Costa...

Two cases of incestuous pregnancy in an underage girl were reported last week alone in Costa Rica. In the few days since the Costa Rica Professional Sociologists Association (CPSCR) published the following statement (which has been lightly edited and condensed) on Friday, February 24, local media (Repretel) reported on a new case of pregnancy in an underage girl in Costa Rica who reports having...

Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, has announced the completion of its combination with Costa Rica-based Muñoz Global, making it the first global law firm to have a footprint across Central America. The combined firm will be known as Dentons Muñoz. The combination follows the launch of Dentons López Velarde in Mexico and Dentons Cardenas & Cardenas in Colombia last year. It marks the next...

To read previous entries in this series, click here for Part One and here for Part Two. On a Sunday afternoon three weeks ago, I was looking forward to watching the national derby match between Deportivo Saprissa and my favorite football club, Liga Deportiva Alajuelense. Instead, I ended up listening to the match on the FM radio application of my ancient Nokia mobile phone because the main swit...

By Wendy Anders Have you ever filed for child support in Costa Rica, lodged a complaint for sexual harassment, or requested a restraining order from a partner or former partner? Your input and evaluation of these services is sought out as the Costa Rican justice system works to strengthen and improve their services for victims of gender-based violence, said the judiciary oversight department...

Washington, DC, Feb. 16 — U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated a former member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to be labor secretary, an announcement that comes a day after his previous nominee withdrew his name from consideration amid controversy. If confirmed by the Senate, Alexander Acosta, a son of Cuban immigrants, would be the first Hispanic in the president's Cabi...

By Wendy Anders Last week, a Costa Rican court delivered a historic sentence, and for the first time served criminal charges for the illegal practice of shark finning. The court sentenced a Taiwanese business owner to prison over a haul of illegally hacked-off shark fins destined for sale abroad, officials and environmentalists said last Thursday, Feb. 9. The verdict, handed down last...

The two founders of Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca were arrested on Saturday, the attorney general's office said, after both were indicted on charges of money-laundering in a case allegedly tied to a wide-ranging corruption scandal in Brazil. Firm founders Jurgen Mossack and Ramon Fonseca were detained because of the risk they might try to flee the country. Attorney General Kenia Porcel...

U.S. police have arrested at least 750 people in sex-trafficking sting operations timed to coincide with the Super Bowl, saying the top sporting event is a magnet for illicit sex. More than 100 arrests were made in Houston, Texas where the National Football League championship game took place on Sunday as sports fans flocked to the city for parties and entertainment in the run-up to the event, ...

Washington, DC, Feb. 9 — Federal appellate judges on Thursday decided unanimously to uphold an injunction issued by a lower court last week blocking President Donald Trump's executive order to temporarily bar residents of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. This is the 45th president's first major legal challenge, and his first major blow, after signing numerous execu...

The United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, Feb. 7 to determine the immediate future of the immigration ban implemented by the U.S. president, which has been blocked by a federal judge. Government attorneys presented their arguments on Monday to the San Francisco-based tribunal, which will now decide whether to reinstate the travel ban on all refugees and on ...

In response to a constitutional appeal (Recurso de Amparo) filed by the Costa Rican Conservation Federation and the Workers Union of the Ministry of Environment, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) ordered Costa Rican authorities to elaborate a plan to get rid of the invaders of the Corcovado National Park, who through logging, the extraction of gold, and hunting are causing ...

Scam group charges up to $5,000 to Costa Ricans not to divulge sexual videos on Facebook. How it works: A network that is operating from the Ivory Coast sends a friend request to a male from a very attractive female with a fake profile. The “Tico” receiving the friend request thinks he is the luckiest man on earth since a sexy women wants to be his “friend” and accepts the request, giving acce...

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General said it will conduct a review of President Donald Trump's executive order that temporarily bans travel from seven countries made up of mostly Muslim populations. The agency late Wednesday said it would "review DHS' implementation" of Trump's recent executive order "in response to congressional requests and whistleblower and ...

Specially trained dolphins and a marine sanctuary are to be used in a bid to save the critically endangered vaquita, a rare porpoise endemic to Mexican waters whose numbers are believed to have fallen to less than three dozen. The goal is to capture some vaquitas and place them in a temporary sanctuary until it is safe for them to return to the northern part of the Gulf of California, said Lore...

Almost exactly one year after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia created an opening on the United States Supreme Court, President Donald Trump on Tuesday night officially nominated federal appellate judge Neil McGill Gorsuch to fill that yearlong empty post. Trump announced his pick Tuesday evening -- a disclosure that was greatly anticipated all day. "Today, I am keeping another promise to...

Costa Rica has raised the minimum age for marriage to 18 under a law that experts hope will prevent teen pregnancy and girls dropping out of school, but enforcement could be a challenge among indigenous communities where child marriage is prevalent. Under the new law, which came into effect this month, children age 15 and above are no longer allowed to get married with their parent's permission...

Five days ago, the owner of the house I have rented in Costa Rica since 2010 told me she had executed a contract with a new tenant. She gave me two days to pack up and leave; since then, I have consulted with a few attorneys about this situation. By all means, I should be evicted by means of a court proceeding; whether this will actually happen remains to be seen, and there is a chance that Fuerza...

By Wendy Anders Nearly 10 years after the passage of Costa Rica’s domestic violence criminalization law, women face rising rates of violence, and epidemic levels of court case dismissals and lack of legal reporting. The judicial branch’s gender commission, which monitors progress on the issue of violence against women, reports that over 76 percent of domestic violence cases are rejected by c...