Increased Budget
Convinces OIJ's Rojas To
Stay On
The head of the
Organismo de
Investigación Judicial (OIJ),
Jorge Rojas, had
threatened on many
occasions to quit and
last month he handed in
his resignation
effective at the end of
January, saying that the
lack of resources and
commitment by the
government led to his
decision.
Rojas, contrary to
advice decided to make
his frustrations over
the police agency's lack
of finances to combat
the rise in crime public
rather than fade away
and leave the problem in
the hands of the
incumbent.
However, in a meeting
yesterday led by Costa
Rican president, Oscar
Arias, and the ministro
de Seguridad, Fernando
Berrocal, among others,
to discuss the problems
of the rise in crime
that has overtaken the
country, Rojas said he
had decided to stay.
Rojas said that he was
satisfied with the
government's commitment
to add ¢7 billion
colones to the "national
emergency" to affront
the growth of
insecurity.
Rojas tendered his
resignation last
December 18, telling the
press that he could not
longer do his job for
lack of finances of the
police agency that last
year alone received
60.000 cases to
investigate.
The increased budget
will allow the OIJ to
hire 500 more agents,
doubling the current
number of investigators
and allow the police
agency to buy more
vehicles and necessary
equipment to do their
job.
According to ministro de
la Presidencia, Rodrigo
Arias, the increase
represents a 26% hike
the OIJ budjet for this
year. Minister Arias,
following the three hour
meeting, said that the
majority of the increase
will be dedicated
specifically to
investigate home
invasions and vehicle
thefts.
The job of finding the
money to finance the
increase spending falls
on the ministro de
Hacienda, Guillermo
Zúñiga, who said that it
will take some weeks to
define the plan.
Although the finance
minister admits not to
know where the money
will come from, he did
say that the spending is
an urgent necessity.
In addition to
increasing the police
agency spending, the
Poder Judicial will also
be opening seven more
court offices to deal
with petty crime that
will be open 24 hours a
day in the Central
Valley, in an effort to
always have a judge
available to promptly
handle petty crime
cases, like the theft of
cellular phones, which
has become very popular
lately.
The government also is
agreed to push ahead
with a number of laws
now stuck in the
legislature as part of
an "emergency" project
responding to the
current situation.
Attending the meeting
also was Laura
Chinchilla, Costa Rica's
first vice-president and
Francisco Dall’Anesse,
the Fiscal General.
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