By PorSheilla Ribeiro,
Africa-Press – Cape verde. In the 2023/2024 judicial year, Cape Verdean courts ruled on 13,038 cases, a reduction of 253 cases compared to the previous period. Despite the high resolution rate, the volume of new cases, which reached 13,844, exceeded the number of concluded cases, according to the report on the situation of Justice of the Superior Council of the Judiciary.
In the report, the analysis of the activity of the second instance courts reveals that in the Sotavento Court of Appeal (TRS), all judges met the defined procedural objectives, with the decision of 551 cases. This number represents the highest peak of resolutions in the TRS in recent years, according to the document.
On the other hand, the Barlavento Court of Appeal failed to achieve the established targets.
STJ
In the Supreme Court of Justice (STJ), 477 cases were resolved, leaving 362 pending, which represents a resolution rate of 57%, which translates into a reduction of pending cases of around 35.1 percent.
“The available data allow us to conclude that, overall, the Courts decided a total of 14,260 cases in the judicial year to which this Report refers”, cases.
According to the report, the accumulation of cases is more pronounced in the districts of Praia, São Vicente, São Filipe and Sal.
Although the diagnosis has been made, the document points out the need to implement some measures, such as the creation of new criminal and civil courts, mainly in the most overburdened districts.
In addition, it points out the need for more court officers and advisors to make up for the deficit in the districts and improve the efficiency of the courts.
Criminal cases increase
The volume of cases filed in the courts in the 2023/2024 judicial year totaled 24,995 cases, an increase of 553 cases compared to the previous year.
Of these, 12,930 cases were of a criminal nature, representing 61% of the total. The courts of Praia and São Vicente concentrated the majority of cases, with a total of 12,734 cases processed in these districts.
In contrast, the courts of Boa Vista and Paul had the lowest numbers, with 153 and 194 cases, respectively.
Courts with the highest and lowest performance
The report also shows that the Criminal Court of the district of Sal recorded the highest number of cases in progress, with 1,393 cases. In contrast, the civil and criminal courts of Boa Vista recorded a resolution rate of 100% of cases.
On the other hand, the Praia Criminal Courts face low resolution rates. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Criminal Courts of this district resolved only 23% and 24% of their cases.
In the 2023/2024 judicial year, the courts ruled on 13,038 cases, a reduction of 253 cases compared to the previous year.
Although the resolution rate was high, the number of cases filed (13,844) exceeded the number of cases resolved. The retirement of magistrates and court officers was identified as a factor that contributed to this slowdown.
Civil cases decrease and criminal cases increase
Traditionally predominant in the courts, civil cases lost their dominance in 2023/24, now representing 48% of total legal cases.
This year, 12,065 civil cases were pending, a decrease of 389 cases compared to the previous year, when the number reached 12,454. According to the report, the majority of these civil cases (6,599) were carried over from previous years.
On the other hand, criminal cases increased and now represent 52% of the total number of legal proceedings, with 12,930 cases pending, an increase of 942 cases compared to the previous year (11,988).
Unlike civil cases, the majority of criminal cases (8,378) were initiated in the judicial year itself.
Praia and São Vicente
In the Praia District Court, the backlog of cases continues to grow. The 1st Criminal Court of Praia, for example, still has the highest backlog, and none of the first three courts managed to exceed the number of cases filed.
The data shows that the number of pending cases in the Praia District increased from 4,624 last year to 4,718 this year, while the number of decided cases fell to 4,185, 280 fewer than in the previous period.
However, the 4th Criminal Court of Praia stood out positively, managing to resolve more cases than the number of new cases received. 967 cases were decided, exceeding the 955 new entries, which resulted in a reduction in the backlog of cases by 12.
In São Vicente, the District also demonstrated similar challenges, with a total of 3,831 cases in progress. In the civil jurisdiction, the number of cases decided was lower compared to the previous year (704 against 762), but the backlog fell from 770 to 652 cases.
In the criminal jurisdiction, São Vicente registered an increase with 1,255 new cases received and 980 judged, but the backlogi ncreased to 1,495 cases, compared to 1,220 last year.
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