{
  "id": "nexus-ext-1-0034-43422",
  "citation": "Res. 00776-2003 Sala Tercera de la Corte",
  "section": "nexus_decisions",
  "doc_type": "court_decision",
  "title_es": "Responsabilidad del jerarca en la custodia de fondos públicos",
  "title_en": "Liability of the director in the custody of public funds",
  "summary_es": "La Sala Tercera de la Corte resuelve un recurso de casación penal sobre la responsabilidad del Director General de Aviación Civil en un delito de peculado. El imputado alegaba que su función como firmante autorizado de cheques era meramente formal y no implicaba responsabilidad sobre los fondos. La Sala rechaza este argumento, estableciendo que el cargo de director general conlleva deberes inherentes de contralor y custodio de los recursos públicos asignados a la entidad. La sentencia analiza el doble mecanismo de control existente en la institución, donde cada departamento respondía por su presupuesto y además el director general fungía como responsable mancomunado para girar cheques. Concluye que la función de firmar cheques no es vacía ni aséptica, sino que acarrea responsabilidad penal cuando se utiliza para sustraer caudales públicos. La decisión reafirma la responsabilidad de los jerarcas institucionales en la administración y disposición de fondos estatales.",
  "summary_en": "The Third Chamber of the Supreme Court resolves a criminal cassation appeal regarding the liability of the Director General of Civil Aviation for embezzlement of public funds. The defendant argued that his role as an authorized signatory on checks was purely formal and did not entail responsibility over the funds. The Chamber rejects this argument, holding that the position of director general carries inherent duties of comptroller and custodian of the public resources assigned to the entity. The ruling analyzes the dual control mechanism within the institution, where each department was responsible for its budget and the director general served as a joint signatory for disbursing checks. It concludes that the check-signing function is not vacuous or aseptic, but rather entails criminal liability when used to misappropriate public monies. The decision reaffirms the responsibility of institutional heads in the administration and disposition of state funds.",
  "court_or_agency": "Sala Tercera de la Corte",
  "date": "2003",
  "year": "2003",
  "topic_ids": [
    "_off-topic"
  ],
  "primary_topic_id": "_off-topic",
  "es_concept_hints": [
    "peculado",
    "Director General de Aviación Civil",
    "fondos públicos",
    "responsabilidad mancomunada",
    "giro de cheques",
    "jerarca institucional"
  ],
  "concept_anchors": [
    {
      "article": "Art. 2",
      "law": "Ley General de Aviación Civil"
    }
  ],
  "keywords_es": [
    "peculado",
    "Director General de Aviación Civil",
    "fondos públicos",
    "responsabilidad mancomunada",
    "giro de cheques",
    "custodia de fondos",
    "recurso de casación",
    "Sala Tercera",
    "delitos contra la función pública",
    "control de presupuesto"
  ],
  "keywords_en": [
    "embezzlement",
    "Director General of Civil Aviation",
    "public funds",
    "joint liability",
    "check issuance",
    "custody of funds",
    "cassation appeal",
    "Third Chamber",
    "crimes against public administration",
    "budget control"
  ],
  "excerpt_es": "Es claro que el puesto de Director General de Aviación Civil, así como la concreta función de ser uno de los responsables mancomunados en cuanto al giro de cheques, apareja una serie de responsabilidades adicionales como jerarca de la institución, entre las cuales obviamente se encuentra la de fungir como un contralor y custodio del adecuado manejo y administración de los recursos asignados al ente público, todo lo cual echaría por tierra el alegato de que se trataba de una mera labor formal, hueca y aséptica.",
  "excerpt_en": "It is clear that the position of Director General of Civil Aviation, as well as the specific function of being one of the jointly responsible parties for issuing checks, brings with it a series of additional responsibilities as the head of the institution, among which is obviously that of serving as a comptroller and custodian of the proper handling and administration of the resources allocated to the public entity, all of which would demolish the allegation that it was a mere formal, empty, and aseptic task.",
  "outcome": {
    "label_en": "Denied",
    "label_es": "Sin lugar",
    "summary_en": "The Third Chamber denies the cassation appeal filed by the defendant, upholding the embezzlement conviction by finding that the position of Director General of Civil Aviation entails substantive responsibility over public funds.",
    "summary_es": "La Sala Tercera rechaza el recurso de casación interpuesto por la defensa del imputado, confirmando la condena por peculado al considerar que el cargo de Director General de Aviación Civil conlleva responsabilidad sustantiva sobre los fondos públicos."
  },
  "pull_quotes": [
    {
      "context": "Considerando I",
      "quote_en": "If we were to admit that this additional duty of being one of those authorized to sign against the mentioned current account carried no responsibility, we would reach the conclusion (contrary to the rules of experience) that such a function would completely lack meaning and justification.",
      "quote_es": "Si se admitiera que ese recargo de ser uno de los autorizados a firmar contra la mencionada cuenta corriente, a éste no le acarreaba ninguna responsabilidad, llegaríamos a la conclusión (contraria a las reglas de la experiencia) de que tal función carecería por completo se sentido y justificación."
    },
    {
      "context": "Considerando I",
      "quote_en": "It is clear that the position of Director General of Civil Aviation, as well as the specific function of being one of the jointly responsible parties for issuing checks, brings with it a series of additional responsibilities as the head of the institution, among which is obviously that of serving as a comptroller and custodian of the proper handling and administration of the resources allocated to the public entity.",
      "quote_es": "Es claro que el puesto de Director General de Aviación Civil, así como la concreta función de ser uno de los responsables mancomunados en cuanto al giro de cheques, apareja una serie de responsabilidades adicionales como jerarca de la institución, entre las cuales obviamente se encuentra la de fungir como un contralor y custodio del adecuado manejo y administración de los recursos asignados al ente público."
    }
  ],
  "cites": [],
  "cited_by": [],
  "references": {
    "internal": [],
    "external": []
  },
  "source_url": "https://nexuspj.poder-judicial.go.cr/document/ext-1-0034-43422",
  "tier": 2,
  "_editorial_citation_count": 0,
  "regulations_by_article": null,
  "amendments_by_article": null,
  "dictamen_by_article": null,
  "concordancias_by_article": null,
  "afectaciones_by_article": null,
  "resoluciones_by_article": null,
  "cited_by_votos": [],
  "cited_norms": [],
  "cited_norms_inverted": [
    {
      "doc_id": "norm-13332",
      "norm_num": "5150",
      "norm_name": "Ley General de Aviación Civil",
      "tipo_norma": "Ley",
      "norm_fecha": "14/05/1973"
    },
    {
      "doc_id": "norm-36522",
      "norm_num": "7018",
      "norm_name": "Ley de Presupuesto de la República para 1986",
      "tipo_norma": "Ley",
      "norm_fecha": "20/12/1985"
    },
    {
      "doc_id": "norm-38915",
      "norm_num": "6815",
      "norm_name": "Ley Orgánica de la Procuraduría General de la República",
      "tipo_norma": "Ley",
      "norm_fecha": "27/09/1982"
    }
  ],
  "sentencias_relacionadas": [],
  "temas_y_subtemas": [],
  "cascade_only": false,
  "amendment_count": 0,
  "body_es_text": "\"I. [...] Si, conforme lo indicaron los deponentes Mayid Torres y José\r\nMiguel Zamora, aunado a que el Director General de Aviación Civil era uno de\r\nlos autorizados a firmar los cheques, cada departamento de dicha dependencia por\r\nsu parte debía velar y responder por el adecuado manejo del dinero asignado a\r\nsu presupuesto, ello sólo significa que existía un doble mecanismo de control,\r\ny que Rodríguez Gonzalo sí tenía facultades de custodia y disposición sobre\r\nesos fondos públicos, las que utilizó para sustraerlos. Si se admitiera que\r\nese recargo de ser uno de los autorizados a firmar contra la mencionada cuenta\r\ncorriente, a éste no le acarreaba ninguna responsabilidad, llegaríamos a la\r\nconclusión (contraria a las reglas de la experiencia) de que tal función\r\ncarecería por completo se sentido y justificación. Es claro que el puesto de\r\nDirector General de Aviación Civil, así como la concreta función de ser uno\r\nde los responsables mancomunados en cuanto al giro de cheques, apareja una serie\r\nde responsabilidades adicionales como jerarca de la institución, entre las\r\ncuales obviamente se encuentra la de fungir como un contralor y custodio del\r\nadecuado manejo y administración de los recursos asignados al ente público,\r\ntodo lo cual echaría por tierra el alegato de que se trataba de una mera labor\r\nformal, hueca y aséptica.\"",
  "body_en_text": "\"I. [...] If, as stated by the deponents Mayid Torres and José Miguel Zamora, in addition to the fact that the Director General of Civil Aviation was one of those authorized to sign checks, each department of that unit, for its part, was required to oversee and be responsible for the proper handling of the money allocated to its budget, this only means that there was a dual control mechanism, and that Rodríguez Gonzalo did indeed have custody and disposition powers over those public funds, which he used to misappropriate them. If one were to admit that this additional duty of being one of those authorized to sign against the aforementioned checking account entailed no responsibility whatsoever for him, we would reach the conclusion (contrary to the rules of experience) that such a function would be completely devoid of meaning and justification. It is clear that the position of Director General of Civil Aviation, as well as the specific function of being one of the jointly liable persons regarding the issuance of checks, carries with it a series of additional responsibilities as head of the institution, among which is obviously that of acting as a comptroller and custodian of the proper handling and administration of the resources allocated to the public entity, all of which would demolish the allegation that it was merely a formal, hollow, and aseptic task.\""
}