Judicial Investigation Department
| Organismo de Investigación Judicial | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1973 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Costa Rica |
| Parent department | Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica |
| Child agency |
|
| Website | https://pj.poder-judicial.go.cr/ |
The Judicial Investigation Department (Spanish: Organismo de Investigación Judicial, OIJ) of Costa Rica is a dependency of the Supreme Court of Justice which works in collaboration with the Public Prosecutor of Costa Rica. The department was founded in 1973. Since October 2015, its director has been Walter Espinoza Espinoza.
The department is a subsidiary body of the Public Prosecutor of Costa Rica which conducts the agency's criminal investigations in order to guarantee the impartiality, honesty and objectivity of its investigations. The Organic Law of Costa stipulates that the OIJ should act independently and on their own initiative. It is given the authority to identity criminal offenders and to perform the preventive apprehension of alleged offenders. The department also collects, secures, and manages the evidence and other background information necessary for the investigation.