Costa Rica is a very small country when measured by its territory. It occupies only 0.03% of the surface of the Earth, and yet, it contains 6% of the planet's biodiversity. It has one of the longest standing democracies in the continent and it is the only country in the world without an army.
The current Costa Rican Constitution was issued in 1949 and it establishes the accountability of public servants. Article 11 clearly states that authority is only deposited on public servants and they must fulfill their duties without taking faculties that the law did not give them.
The government is divided into four branches, according to the checks and balances system: the Executive, the Legislative, the Judicial and the Electoral. It follows the civil law tradition and as such the written law has predominance.
The efforts to set in place an effective anti corruption mechanism are quite notable, as anti corruption authorities are found in every level of the government, as it will be explained further down. There is, however, no civil asset recovery in place and although the offense of money laundering is contemplated for any serious offense, most corruption related conducts escape from this definition.
Justice administration has been entrusted to the Supreme Court of Justice, which is comprised by twenty two magistrates and all judges. The Supreme Court is divided in turn in four different chambers, with five magistrates in the first three chambers for the criminal, civil and administrative matters, and seven magistrates in the fourth chamber which is entrusted with constitutional matters. They are all appointed by the Legislative Branch for a period of eight years.
The Public Prosecutors Office's main function is to request the criminal tribunals the application of the law and the investigation of criminal offenses. This office is divided in territorial offices as well as specialized units with competence over the entire national territory. The Anti Corruption Unit is one of those specialized offices and is entrusted with the investigation and prosecution of all corruption related offenses.
