Constitutional Court Orders Hacienda To Hand Over "All" the Money to CONAVI
The Constitutional Court decided yesterday that the Ministerio de Hacienda (Revenue Ministry) must had over all the monies that it collects with respect to roads to the Consejo Nacional de Vialidad (CONAVI), failing which, the Financial Minister can face from three month to two years jail time.

CONAVI has been complaining that it does not have sufficient funds to effect the repairs on the national road network, resulting in poor road conditions, worsened by the hard rainy season which is coming to an end.

The Constitutional Court said that the failure of the part of Hacienda to hand over every colon collected is a "violation of the rights of every citizen of the country."

The court decision came after an appeal was made by the Cámara Costarricense de la Construcción, the Asociación de Carreteras y Caminos de Costa Rica and Conavi.

However, if the Ministro de Haciendo can demonstrate just cause for his decision and not abide by the decision of the Constitutional Court or Sala IV as it is often referred to, the penalties won't apply, according to Constitutional expert, Alexandro Rodríguez.

Alejandro Molina, president of CONAVI, said yesterday, that he hopes the court's decision will now get the money where it should have gone to in the first place, to CONAVI, to fix the roads that are affecting everyone.

"What's the point if CONAVI makes plans to fix the roads and Hacienda doesn't give us the money", said Molina.

Molina added that the poor condition of the roads and CONAVI's inability to repair them threatens the tourism and export sectors, as well as places lives at risk.

CONAVI was created in 1998 and is to receive 30% of all revenues from gasoline taxes, 50% of taxes imposed on vehicle ownership and every colones collected at the toll booths.

Historically, the Ministerio de Hacienda has only given CONAVI 55% of what is collected and needed to maintain and repair some 4.000 kilometres of national roads. CONAVI says that, for example, in 2006 it expected to receive only us$48 million dollars of the us$108 million Hacienda collected.