Costa Rican Judiciary clarifies ownership of judicial deposits

The Costa Rican Judiciary has clarified that funds held within the Judicial Deposit System are the exclusive property of users and do not constitute part of the institution's assets or any trust. These resources, which include funds related to court-ordered seizures, retentions, and alimony payments, are described as “untouchable” and can only be released upon a final judicial order.

The institution emphasized that it receives no economic benefit from the custody or administration of these funds. Furthermore, any interest generated by these deposits belongs to the parties involved in the legal processes, as established by the Constitutional Chamber.

In exceptional cases, under Law No. 9578, funds from judicial processes declared abandoned are transferred to the Non-Contributory Pension Regime of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS). Additionally, the Judiciary clarified that infrastructure funds are separate from judicial deposits; currently, $82 million is held in a trust specifically for judicial building projects and improvements.