By the A.M. Costa Rica staff


The Ministry of Security, together with the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation and municipalities presented a bill before the deputies of the Legislative Assembly to making more rapid the process of transferring vehicles that were confiscated from criminals to the Ministry of Security.

The bill, entitled Law to Modify the Public Traffic and National Security Traffic Law, was presented by the authorities of the ministries and municipalities to the deputies that make up the Commission on Security and Drug Trafficking

"The authorities ask to modify articles 155 and 156 to quickly release the thousands of confiscated vehicles that have been abandoned by their owners," said the Ministry of Security in its statement.

According to the ministry, the current law has a series of obstacles such as:

- Currently, the procedure for the use of these vehicles lasts more than one year.

- The Ministry must publish the edicts in the official newspaper La Gaceta for the auction of vehicles, "which represents a high economic cost," said the ministry in its statement.

The proposal, made by the Security Commission of the Municipality of San José and led by the deputy minister of the Ministry of Security, Eduardo Solano Solano, and the deputy minister of Transportation, Eduardo Brenes Mata, proposes that the processing last only three months and the proposed actions are published on the website of the Road Safety Council.

In addition to this, the bill, it is proposed that banks that have some credit or financial interest because the vehicle that was seized was collateral for a loan, have 10 days to claim the vehicle or take it out of the ministry's warehouses.

"The only vehicles that will not be on the list for quick disposal will be those that are in process related to an unsolved trial," said the ministry in its statement.

According to the ministry, there are currently 44,707 vehicles, including motorcycles and light cars that were seized by the police and are parked in the ministry's warehouses.

According to the authorities, keeping these vehicles in the warehouses entails spending millions of colones per year for the maintenance, rents and security, among others.

After the presentation of the bill, the deputies would begin with the analysis of the text to define whether a deeper discussion in the congress could be valid or else reject the proposal of the authorities.




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Should the deputies approve the bill so that the ministry more quickly handles confiscated vehicles?   We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com 

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