Thursday 11 December
2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Costa Rica Tells US
It Is Ready With The TLC
New Law To Combat Rising
Crime Ready For January
December Is A Time
For Vacations
JetBlue Adds Flights To
Costa Rica
San José - Santa Ana
Highway to Escazú Closed This
Weekend
Google Phone in Costa
Rica Next Year?
Correction:
Gasoline Prices To
Keep Falling. Finally!
|
New Law To Combat Rising
Crime Ready For January
The Comisión Especial de
Seguridad Ciudadana del
Parlamento (special
legislative commission
on citizen security)
said it has completed
discussions on the
motions and that the Ley
de Protección de
Víctimas y Testigos bill
is ready to be presented
to the full legislature
for voting come January.
The proposed law will
give the Organismo de
Investigación Judicial (OIJ)
extended powers to
protect victims and
witnesses to crimes and
send to prison petty
criminals when the theft
of loss to the victim is
less than "one base
salary", as well as
establish a process of
speedy trials for
criminals caught "en
flagrancia del Delito"
(red handed).
The proposal includes
harsher penalties for
recurring and
professional criminals,
like sending a suspect
to preventive detention
(jail while waiting
trial) if the individual
already has to open
cases.
The Ley de Protección de
Víctimas y Testigos is
complimentary to the
bill "Ley de combate
contra el crimen
organizado" (law
combating organized
crime) which is still in
the motions process.
The Ley de Protección de
Víctimas y Testigos
still has some
challenges when it hits
the legislative foor.
Legislator Evita
Arguedas is one who
wants to see greater
limits on interrogations
by the OIJ, by making a
motion that would impede
authorities to
interrogate a suspect
for the first six hours
of the arrest.
Luis Antonio Barrantes,
party whip for the
Movimiento Libertario
and president of the
commission confirmed
that he ordered a new
publication of the
initiative in the
official government
publication, La Gaceta,
since the bill includes
a tax on securities in
foreign currencies which
would go towards finance
the operation of an
office to for the
protection of victims
and witnesses which will
be operated by the OIJ.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
