While the Constitution of the Republic says that Justice is free, the mandate does not mean that the judicial processes are free! What it means, according to Edgar Barnichta Geara, a specialist in tax law, is that the “judges should not charge money from people in court in return for imposing justice and handing down sentences.” So, while the Constitution says that Justice is free, the judicial process costs do add up.
According to an article in Listin Diario, several laws establish fees for judicial processes, going from the lowest-ranking members of the judiciary – the Justices of the Peace – to the highest, which is the Supreme Court of Justice. The article goes on to say that these are not taxes that the government can use for anything, but they are fees that are only for the use of the Justice Department. According to Barnichta, “everything in life costs something, nothing is free… there is no reason for the state to give individuals everything they want… if I go to court and use paper and a computer, I have to contribute to the cost of these services.”