American Expatriate Costa Rica

Constitutional Court will study motion against budget cuts to PANI

The Constitutional Court admitted a constitutional motion filed by Frente Amplio’s legislators against the cut of ¢47 billion to the National Children’s Trust (PANI) in the budget for 2017.

The action was brought against articles 7, paragraph 11, and 10 of the Law of Ordinary and Extraordinary Budget of the Republic for the Fiscal Year 2017, approved by the Legislature on November 29th, but without receiving statutory votes.

The ¢47 billion were transferred to the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice.

According to lawmakers, the cut violated several articles of the Political Constitution, the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and the American Convention on Human Rights.

You cannot make the kind of cuts they want to do with PANI… The law specifies that these resources must be allocated to PANI and it is not up to legislators if they should be transferred or not,”

said the head of Frente Amplio, Edgardo Araya.

crhoy.com