Africa-Press – Angola. The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) in the southern Huíla Province registered 240 crimes considered serious from January to October of this year, some are in the investigation phase and others in the judicial phase, highlighting advances in criminal procedural treatment.
In total, the records include 14 (+10) cases in the judicial phase for corruption crimes, eight for fuel smuggling, 68 (-12) for drug trafficking, 89 (-10) homicides and 61 (+32) for domestic violence.
Already in the investigation phase are six (-09) corruption crimes, 10 (+04) for fuel smuggling, 208 (+50) for drug trafficking, 124 for theft and robbery of livestock, 225 (+20) for homicide and 211 (+87) for domestic violence.
In an interview this Wednesday, the head prosecutor for Huíla, Nilton Muaca, deemed the institutional performance throughout 2025 as “positive,” highlighting advances in criminal procedural treatment, although an increase of 28 cases was observed compared to the same period in 2024.
The prosecutor highlighted the strengthening of preventive action and proximity to citizens, in a context still marked by limitations in human resources.
He explained that from January to October, the institution registered 240 criminal cases in the judicial phase, relating to the most concerning offenses, a number that represents a slight increase compared to the same period in 2024.
In the instruction phase, the source added, 784 cases were counted, compared to 508 in the same period of the previous year, which translates into greater capacity for response and dynamism of the criminal investigation bodies.
Among the cases in the judicial phase, Nilton Muaca highlighted those involving corruption, fuel smuggling, drug trafficking, homicides, and domestic violence.
He asserted that in the instruction phase, the numbers indicate a higher incidence of drug trafficking, homicides, domestic violence, and crimes of theft and robbery of cattle, reflecting criminal phenomena that continue to deserve special attention from the authorities.
The Deputy Attorney General of the Republic in Huíla attributed the “positive evolution” of some crime indicators to the strengthening of the operational work of the defense and security forces, with emphasis on community policing, preventive patrols, and other crime prevention actions.
The magistrate stressed that Huíla remains the second largest judicial center in the country, after Luanda, and has recorded a significant reduction in the number of cases brought to court in certain types of crimes, both at the judicial level and in the instruction phase, demonstrating the effectiveness of the integrated action of the criminal police bodies.
Alongside the repressive aspect, he stated that the PGR-Huíla developed several extra-procedural activities throughout the year, including lectures, training sessions, colloquiums, and roundtables, with the aim of raising citizens’ legal awareness and strengthening crime prevention.
Staff shortage hinders procedural speed
Despite the results considered encouraging, the PGR in Huíla faces challenges related to the shortage of magistrates and justice technicians, a situation that hinders procedural speed.
According to the deputy prosecutor, some instructors have more than 500 cases under their responsibility, which makes it humanly difficult to ensure greater speed in processing.
As a consequence, the PGR was forced to issue 12 releases due to excessive pre-trial detention, a reality that, according to the magistrate, does not make the institution proud, but reinforces the commitment to intensify the work to reduce these cases to zero.
The institution in Huíla has 36 magistrates and one hundred justice technicians and general staff; the total need for the latter is estimated at 300.
Source: ANGOP
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