Africa-Press – Angola. The president of the Association of Judges of Angola (AJA), Esmael da Silva, stated, this Friday, in Huambo, that procedural slowness and court conditions have contributed to the negative assessment of the Angolan justice system.
The judge was speaking at the opening of the 1st National Congress of the Judiciary, which runs until Saturday, with the participation of 200 national and international congressmen, including judges from the common and military forum, lawyers and academics, in an initiative by the AJA, under the motto “The Court and the Judge: the challenges of Angolan Justice”.
On the occasion, Esmael da Silva said it was a difficult time for Justice in the country, where questions are being raised around the system adopted, receiving, from ordinary citizens, a worrying response of growing dissatisfaction with the services provided, especially from the courts.
He mentioned that this assessment has also been aggravated by the fact that, currently, judges are the targets of a constant public investigation, which requires a more impartial and ethical stance from them.
He added that the scarcity of human, material, financial and infrastructural resources in the courts, aggravated by the outdated organic and remuneration statutes of magistrates for more than five years, equally contribute to the poor appreciation of the work done by judges and other justice actors.
According to Esmael da Silva, the magistrates are eager to discuss the current situation of Angolan Justice, mainly the courts and their management, as an independent and sovereign body of the Angolan State.
To this end, it hopes that the topics under debate will produce some positive impact on the administration of the sector and its reach for the good of the citizen, who, ultimately, is the recipient of the work of the magistrates.
In his opinion, the congress constitutes an important opportunity to honestly evaluate the judge and the court, taking into account the current challenges of Justice, for greater speed and the fulfillment of the legitimate interests of citizens.
In turn, the vice-governor for the Political, Social and Economic sector of the province of Huambo, Angelino Elavoco, said that the approach to the challenges of Angolan Justice opens space for discussions, with the ultimate aim of promoting faster and more effective justice. equitable.
He said he has no doubt that important reflections and contributions will be made during the congress to improve the performance of the various bodies of the Angolan judiciary.
During the event, which is scheduled to end on Saturday, topics such as “The Court in the democratic State and the rule of law”, “The judge in the constitutional State” and “The judge and procedural management in relation to the legal regime of the functioning of the courts” will be discussed. ”.
It will also promote analysis and exchange of experiences, between judges from the common and military forum, as well as justice auditors (trainee judicial magistrates), including lawyers and guests from Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and East Timor.
The event was attended by, among other figures from the sector, the Executive Secretary of the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSMJ), Manuel Vítor Assuilo, the venerable advisor judges and retired presidents of the Supreme Court, Cristiano Augusto André and Rui Constantino Ferreira, respectively, in addition to the presiding judge of the Huambo District Court, António Filipe Sebastião.
AJA is a national, non-profit, private entity without any political-partisan or religious orientation, established on December 11, 2015, under Angolan law, with more than 300 members.
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