Costa Rica Public Ministry appointment controversy

Costa Rican deputy Marta Esquivel of the Pueblo Soberano party has raised concerns regarding the appointment and promotion processes within the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Corte Plena. Esquivel argued that the country has failed to establish a true fiscal career for over 30 years, alleging that the current system lacks transparency and relies on political favoritism rather than merit-based competitions.

In response to these concerns, Esquivel introduced legislative proposal 25.777 to establish a formal Fiscal Career Law for the Public Ministry. The proposed law seeks to regulate the entry, evaluation, training, and promotion of prosecutors and support staff through public merit-based contests administered by the Judicial Power’s Human Resources Management Directorate.

The initiative aims to limit the use of temporary or interim appointments and requires the Attorney General to appoint individuals based on a registry of eligible candidates. The bill also establishes specific service requirements for various prosecutor roles, though the position of Attorney General would be excluded from this career track.