New legal charges of between 50 and 1200 euros for civil, social and administrative procedures are being charged in the region of Murcia from Monday of this week.
A verbal hearing for civil matters will cost 150 euros; appeal a civil action will cost 800 euros; a contested administrative procedure will cost 350 euros; and appealing the latter will cost 1200 euros.
The majority of these procedures were free of charge before this week and most citizens are liable to pay them.
The move by central government to cut the number of “frivolous” legal proceedings and to collect revenue has been attacked by the judiciary and lawyers alike for “creating one form of justice for rich people and another for the poor.”
Under the new regime many administrative procedures and documents which were free will now bear a cost and a simple divorce, for example, will cost a minimum of 300 euros.
