Africa-Press – Cape verde. It’s small—2%—but it’s still a decrease, as noted in the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s 2024/2025 activity report.
In total, 26,691 new criminal cases entered the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s services. When added to those carried over from the previous judicial year, this totals 91,946 cases handled, of which 27,971 were resolved, leaving 63,975 criminal cases pending.
This result, nationwide, resulted in a 53.5% exceedance of the minimum procedural benchmark set by the CSMP [Superior Council of the Public Prosecutor’s Office], and resulted in a 2% reduction in the backlog of cases compared to the previous judicial year.
However, the document states, insufficient human resources in the Public Prosecutor’s Office, “both in terms of magistrates and court officers, as well as the weak and increasingly diminishing assistance provided by the Criminal Police Units (CPOs) in criminal investigations, continue to hinder the achievement of better results capable of significantly reducing the backlog of cases.”
Procedural Flow by Crime
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Praia District accounted for 51% of the cases filed nationwide, followed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the São Vicente District with 17%, the Public Prosecutor’s Offices of the Santa Cruz and Sal Districts with 5% each, the Public Prosecutor’s Offices of the Santa Catarina and São Filipe Districts with 4% each, and the Public Prosecutor’s Offices of the Tarrafal and Boavista Districts with 3% each.
Nationally, property crimes account for 50.3% of all cases filed, followed by crimes against physical and mental integrity (12.4%), crimes against personal liberty (9.4%), crimes against the family (5.9%), and weapons crimes (5.3%).
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Praia District resolved 53% of cases resolved nationwide, followed by the Public Prosecutor’s Offices of São Vicente (13%), Sal (7%), Santa Catarina and Santa Cruz (5% each), and Boa Vista and São Filipe (4% each).
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Praia District carried over 77% of the pending cases nationwide to the next judicial year, followed by the Public Prosecutor’s Offices of São Vicente (13%), Sal (3%), and São Filipe (2%).
Nationally, property crimes account for 54.6% of incomplete cases, followed by crimes against physical and mental integrity (9.5%), crimes against personal liberty (8%), weapons crimes (7%), and crimes against the family (4.5%).
Special Types of Crimes
In gender-based violence, the number of cases filed in 2024/25 – 1,566 – compared to the 2023/2024 judicial year (2,098 filed) – represents a decrease of approximately 25.4%.
This represents a reversal of the upward trend in filed cases that had been seen in recent years. In the 2020/2021 judicial year, 1,832 cases were filed, in the 2021/2022 judicial year, 1,865, in the 2022/2023 judicial year, 1,971, and in the previous judicial year, 2023/2024, 2,098.
Despite the decrease in the number of resolved cases—which fell from 1,805 in the 2023/2024 judicial year to 1,711 in the current judicial year, a decrease of 94 resolved cases (corresponding to 5.2%)—there was still a 4.9% decrease in the backlog, from 2,981 in 2023/2024 to 2,836 in 2024/2025.
Nationally, 273 homicide cases were registered with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, 27 fewer than the previous judicial year, a decrease of 9%.
Of these, 155 were attempted homicides, 52 were simple homicides, 42 were negligent homicides, and 24 were aggravated homicides.
Nationally, 213 homicide cases were resolved, 89 fewer than the previous judicial year, a decrease in productivity of approximately 29.5%.
Nationally, 964 homicide cases are pending, 60 more than the previous judicial year, a 6.6% increase in the backlog.
Regarding sexual crimes, 624 cases were registered with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, 20 fewer than the previous judicial year, a decrease of 3.1%.
Among the cases filed, 307 involved child sexual abuse, 117 sexual assaults, 71 sexual harassment, 52 penetrative sexual assaults, 24 sexual abuse of minors between 14 and 16 years of age, and 23 attempted sexual assaults.
Nationally, 586 cases related to sexual crimes were resolved, 35 fewer than the previous judicial year, a 5.6% decrease in productivity.
Nationally, 1,166 cases related to sexual crimes are pending, 38 more than the previous judicial year, a 3.4% increase in the backlog.
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