QCOSTARICA — The judiciary police, the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), arrested a notary public, surnamed Carrillo, 61-year-old, following carrying out 2 raids in the sectors of Catedral and Pavas, in San José.
Apparently, the notary would have indicated in notarial instruments the appearance of people who were not in the country or were deceased, to acts including the transfer of property and other goods.
Apparently, the notary pretended that the people were present before him at the time of carrying out these acts.
In Costa Rica, notaries must be graduates of Law (Derecho in Spanish), with a postgraduate degree in Notarial and Registry Law; in addition, have been incorporated into the Costa Rican Bar Association for at least two years.
A notary public in Costa Rica is a licensed professional who authenticates signatures and other legal documents. Notaries are impartial witnesses to legal proceedings and ensure that people understand the documents they are signing, certify documents, witness identity, and legal capacity to sign documents, register legal documents and certify the existence of events, among others.
A distinction between a lawyer and a notary is that the former is in charge of legal advice, while the latter records the agreements. In Costa Rica, most attorneys are also notaries public.