Africa-Press – Angola. Complaints about delays in deciding legal cases submitted to the second instance dominated, in the province of Benguela, the 154 complaints presented to the Ombudsman’s Office in 2023, of which 46 were resolved.
The information was provided by the head of the Provincial Services of the Ombudsman’s Office, Gaspar Correia Miguel, when taking stock of the activities carried out in 2023, with a focus on defending the guarantees and fundamental freedoms of citizens in this region of the country.
As I said, this procedural slowness has to do with those cases submitted for consideration at the second instance, through the criminal room of the Supreme Court, in Luanda, before the opening of the Court of Appeal in Benguela.
According to the person responsible, citizens have complained greatly about the performance of that body, as the processes sent take a long time.
He made it known that other recurring complaints target the penitentiary services, that is, the lack of copies of sentences in the processes and the settlement of sentences, a situation that has been complicating the situation of prisoners.
Thus, the Benguela and Lobito District Courts were the entities most targeted by complaints presented to the Ombudsman’s Office in 2023, hence the need to correct these flaws in the next processes.
This is because, according to Gaspar Correia Miguel, the lack of copies of sentences creates constraints in the normal course of inmates’ processes, mainly at the stage of requesting parole.
He made it known that the institution had also received some complaints related to delays in the payment of the survivor’s pension, due to the death of National Police officers.
Of the total of 154 complaints presented to the Ombudsman’s Office in Benguela, the interviewee stated that 122 were initiated by male citizens, 23 by female citizens, six in groups and one collectively.
Clarification
In the chapter on clarifications regarding complaints presented by citizens, Gaspar Correia Miguel highlighted the sending of 38 letters to the institutions, of which eight were responded to by the targeted entities.
Furthermore, it highlighted the carrying out of 46 activities, including lectures and courtesy meetings with entities and target audiences, such as general education and university students, administrative employees, traditional authorities and defense and security bodies, aiming to publicize the provider’s mission of justice.
Regarding the interior of the province, Gaspar Correia Miguel regretted the lack of collaboration of some municipal administrators, for not responding to the various requests sent by the institution for visits, a scenario that he hopes to see changed this year thanks to the institutional support of the Provincial Government of Benguela.
“We planned to visit all the municipalities, but some administrators did not respond to our requests, some even insisted but they did not respond”, he insisted, revealing that all that remains is to visit the municipalities of Caimbambo, Chongoroi and Bocoio.
Although it can serve 50 citizens/day, the Ombudsman’s Office in Benguela only receives two to three cases per week, which is why the interviewee considers the total number of complaints presented and resolved in 2023 to be insufficient.
In this context, it augurs better results in 2024, as the Ombudsman’s Office services recently moved to new facilities, next to the Benguela Provincial Government building, making it more accessible for citizens.
ANGOP
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