Public Prosecutor of Costa Rica
The Public Ministry of Costa Rica has an accusatory function before the courts by the Criminal prosecutions and conducting preparatory research into the crimes of public action, work being done in conjunction with the Judicial Investigation Department.
However, when the law empowering the prior authorization of superior, the representative of the Public Prosecutor may request that dispensing with whole or in part for criminal prosecution, which is limited to one or more violations or any of the individuals involved in the incident.
This same body should intervene in the criminal enforcement proceedings in the civil defense of the victim when appropriate and to assume other duties which the law may require.
The current Attorney General is Francisco Dall'Anese.
History
The Public Ministry of Costa Rica was created by law of the Republic, has not yet enshrined in the Constitution. The body that exists today, as auxiliary institution of the modern administration of justice, dating back thirty-four years to the date despite its essence as a republican institution is the product of over one hundred and fifty years of history and constitutional independent.
Initially, officials had to know a vast amount of material, all related to State interests, among which highlighted three main aspects: the hacendaria the assets and criminal. The Criminal Matters came to prevail over the others, because hacendaria remained in the area of the executive branch and as "criminal hacendario" in the Public Ministry. The matter "criminal hacendaria" was of little significance, since its laws unique to the administrative procedure reserved most of the activities, for its part, the art heritage was as a task for the Attorney General's Office in a relatively equal terms with private subject.
Organizational structure
The Public Ministry is made up of different units and prosecutors' offices, including:
- Prosecutor General's Office.
- Fiscal Council.
- Prosecution of the Deputy Attorney General.
- Assistant General Procuratorates.
- Office of Technical and International Relations.
- Unit Tax Inspectorate.
- Prosecutors from the Attorney General.
- Training and Monitoring Unit.
- Administrative Unit.
- Unit Property Crime.
- Drug Trafficking and Juvenile.
- Deputy Economic Crime, Corruption and Tax.
- Enforcement of the penalty.
- Unit scams.
- Unit vehicle thefts.
- Domestic Violence Unit and Sex Crimes.
- Deputy Environment.
- Civil Defense Office of the Victim.
- Office of Information and Guidance for the Victim.
The Civil Defense Office of the Victim
It is an office that supplies to victims of a crime the services of a legal representative, to help them obtain compensation for the damages they have suffered.
The Civil Defense Office of the Victim is under the Public Ministry and began its work on January 1, 1998, with the entry into force of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The professional service provided by this office is absolutely free and is to assign the victim a lawyer, who performs the procedures necessary to enable the accused or who responds by him, paid the damages caused. This is called "civil action for damages." If the office finds that it did have enough resources to hire a legal representative who leads the particular case, carry out the formalities to pay for professional services received.
Office of Information and Guidance for Victim
Created with the purpose of guiding the victim and reduce their problems during the development of the criminal proceedings. Seeks to provide assistance as quickly as possible, because if the aid is late, worsens the situation of persons injured and that is precisely what we are trying to avoid. This Office is also attached to the Public Ministry and is on the sixth floor of the Courts of the First Judicial Circuit.