Garabito regulates corruption reports with whistleblower protection

The Municipal Council of Garabito approved the Regulation for the Reception, Registration, Processing, and Monitoring of Complaints regarding Alleged Irregular Acts and Corruption in the Municipality of Garabito, a regulation that organizes the internal procedure for channeling complaints from citizens and officials. The text was published in La Gaceta No. 173 on Monday, September 14, 2026, page 142, and is effective as of its publication.

The regulation is based on articles 11, 27, 30, and 169 of the Political Constitution, the General Law of Public Administration, the General Law of Internal Control No. 8292, the Law against Corruption and Illicit Enrichment in Public Service No. 8422, the Municipal Code (Law No. 7794), and Law No. 8968 on the protection of personal data, as well as Report No. DFOE-LOC-IF-00004-2021 from the Comptroller General of the Republic. The document was signed by Licda. Arlyn Arellys Carmona Laguna, Municipal Provider.

Scope and guiding principles

The regulation, structured into four chapters and 16 articles, defines its objective as regulating the reception, registration, analysis, processing, monitoring, and safeguarding of complaints linked to alleged irregular acts, acts of corruption, breaches of the duty of probity, or conduct contrary to the public interest. Its scope of application extends to:

• Municipal officials.
• Citizenship.
• Suppliers and contractors.
• Users of municipal services.
• Any person who files complaints related to municipal management.

The procedure shall be governed by the principles of legality, confidentiality, objectivity, traceability, transparency, due process, protection of the whistleblower, citizen access, and administrative speed.

Complaint channels and processing

Complaints may be submitted through the Service Platform (Customer Service Unit), official email, digital form, written documents, or in person. Each complaint must contain, whenever possible, a description of the facts, approximate dates, persons involved, evidence, and a means for notifications.

The Municipality may admit anonymous complaints when there is sufficient information to initiate preliminary verifications. Every complaint must be registered consecutively, assigned a date and time, generate administrative traceability, and be documentarily safeguarded. After a preliminary analysis of admissibility and competence, the complaint may be transferred to:

• Internal Audit.
• Legal Management.
• Human Talent.
• Public Ministry.
• Comptroller General of the Republic.
• Competent bodies.

Confidentiality, reports, and validity

The regulation guarantees the confidentiality of the whistleblower’s identity when legally applicable, and requires that all related documentation be safeguarded through restricted access mechanisms and documentary traceability. The Municipal Administration must generate periodic reports on the number of complaints, their processing status, typology, and the measures implemented, and permanently strengthen the institutional mechanisms for reporting and traceability.

The regulation repeals any provision, guideline, circular, procedure, agreement, or internal regulation of equal or lower rank that is incompatible, and takes effect upon its publication in the Official Gazette.

The approval of this regulation provides the canton with a clear and verifiable instrument to channel reports of irregularities, in line with the recommendations of the Comptroller General of the Republic. For officials, providers, and the citizens of Garabito, it represents a formal, confidential, and traceable channel to report acts of corruption, reinforcing transparency and the internal control of municipal management.

Source: La Gaceta — Official Gazette, No. 173, Monday, September 14, 2026, Municipal Regime section, p. 142 (official reference: IN202601108906).