Africa-Press – Cape verde. The residence of the president of the Supreme Court of Justice of Guinea-Bissau, José Pedro Sambu, is surrounded by armed men, a situation denounced by the president of the National Popular Assembly, who considers it “unacceptable ” .
In a video published on social media, Domingos Simões Pereira, who is on a service mission outside the country, stated that he has information from Bissau, according to which Pedro Sambu’s residence was surrounded by armed men in military uniforms. , since the early hours of Friday, the 3rd.
“ The residence of the president of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Supreme Court itself were invaded by armed men in uniform and with weapons. Until now we don’t know who they are and we don’t know exactly where they came from ”, noted Simões Pereira.
The leader of the Inclusive Alliance Platform (PAI- Terra Ranka) coalition, which governs Guinea-Bissau, and president of the Guinean parliament, Domingos Simões Pereira, noted that, whoever those men were, that was not the way to solve any problem.
Pereira also stressed that this is not how a democratic rule of law works.
The Supreme Court of Justice (STJ), which in Guinea-Bissau also performs the powers of the constitutional and electoral courts, has been at the center of a controversy between its leaders and judges.
On October 19th, the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSMJ) suspended the president of the Supreme Court and the council itself, Pedro Sambu, from office on suspicion of interference in a process that was under the jurisdiction of another judge and obstruction in the execution of a court decision.
In the same decision, the vice-president of the CSMJ and the STJ, Lima António André, was appointed to replace him in both positions.
Days later, the suspended president issued an order to suspend his vice-president, Lima António André, who had chaired the meeting at which he was suspended, accusing him of having usurped his powers at the CSMJ.
Upon returning to the country, on October 29th, from Congo Brazzaville and after a state visit to Portugal, the president of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, said that he was going to speak to the leaders of the STJ in order to help them resolve disagreements.
Last Wednesday, the 2nd, José Pedro Sambu met with the CSMJ, which confirmed the suspension of Lima André from his duties at the STJ, an order announced on Friday, through a deliberation signed by the president of the highest instance of the judiciary. Guinean.
The presence of armed men at the residence of the president of the STJ and in the court premises denounced by the leader of parliament, Domingos Simões Pereira, occurred after this last deliberation.
In the communication made on social media, the President of the Assembly urged the parties to resort to the courts, especially those who do not conform to the decisions taken, as “it should work in any democratic State”.
“It is unacceptable for anyone to try to take justice into their own hands, especially if they use violence, this is not normal ”, stressed Domingos Simões Pereira, recalling the promises made by the head of state when he arrived in the country on October 29th about how he would try help resolve the problem at the STJ.
Domingos Simões Pereira observed that “ if it is the President of the Republic who sends people to the Supreme Court of Justice” so that they “ take the measures they have taken, we have to tell him that this is not the way and cannot be accepted because it is not the way to solve problem ”.
“ We are going to ask the Government to clarify what happened at the Supreme Court and to restore normality to that institution, to guarantee normality to all institutions in the Republic so that they can work within normality while observing the laws”, urged Simões Pereira .
The leader of the parliament said that he will interrupt his mission abroad to return to the country and “ assume his responsibilities ” as head of a sovereign body, he noted. The Week with Lusa
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