The salaries received by the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice in Costa Rica are among the highest in the world when compared to their counterparts in different countries of America and Europe.

To be more concise, Costa Rican judges receive the fifth highest sum of approximately $16,000.00 USD monthly , only behind Mexico ($18,500.00), England ($20,000.00), USA ($21,000.00) and Switzerland ($22,000.00), all developed countries and with a very different reality than Costa Rica, yet, in this small country at the doors of a fiscal crisis the salaries paid exceed those of countries like Spain, France, Italy, Argentina, to mention just a few.

The judges of the Costa Rican Supreme Court receive a base monthly salary of close to $4800.00 in addition or as “salary pluses”, they receive management index of approximately $4,620.00, competitivity index of $1,065.00, exercise of the judiciary functions ($1420.00), annuities, exclusive dedication ($3020.00).

In the Central American region, the salaries of the Costa Rican judges represent more than double of the salary paid to Guatemalan judges who receive close to $7000.00, while the Panamanian equivalent gets $6500.00 and the salaries for judges of the Supreme Courts in Nicaragua and El Salvador range between $5000.00 to $5500.00.

For more than a year now the credibility of the Judiciary system in Costa Rica has been questioned after the “cementazo” corruption scandal which caused the suspension of four judges due to “Grave Mistake” that dates back to February 2017 when they accepted a dismissal in favor of the deputies Otto Guevara and Victor Morales Zapata accused of influence peddling in favor of Juan Carlos Bolaños.

After the scandal and receiving information on the suspension, the president of the Supreme Court, Carlos Chinchilla 55-years-old, resorted to an early retirement (which by law he is entitled to) and will be receiving a ‘luxury’ pension estimated between $11,000.00 and $12,800.00 a month.