Luanda - O combate à corrupção, à impunidade e outros males que enfermam a sociedade voltou a ser, em 2023,  o apanágio dos órgãos de justiça do país, mais  concretamente com o início de julgamentos, pelo  Tribunal Supremo, dos chamados "casos médiaticos". 

Luanda - The fight against corruption, impunity and other evils that afflict the society once again became, in 2023, the prerogative of the country's justice bodies, more specifically with the start of trials, by the Supreme Court, of so-called “media cases”.

By Valentim de Carvalho, ANGOP journalist

In another forum, the supreme court of the judiciary resumed, in 2023, first instance trials, of which some media cases linked to matters of embezzlement, money laundering, among others, stand out.

Thus, although it is not exactly a trial, the start of the phase of contradictory instruction in the criminal case involving the former Minister of State and Head of the Military House of the President of the Republic, Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias “Kopelipa”, accused by the Public Ministry of six crimes.

The former director of the National Reconstruction Office (GRN) is also accused of the crimes of embezzlement, fraud,  falsification of documents, influence peddling, criminal association and abuse of power, in a process in which the Public Prosecutor's Office is a participant, together with another citizen (Fernando Gomes dos Santos) and two companies.

During this period, other trials also began, with emphasis on that of the former governor of the province of Lunda Sul, Ernesto Kiteculo, accused of the crime of embezzlement, where the Public Prosecutor's Office accuses him of violating the OGE's execution rules applicable to said province.

Also noteworthy is the start of the trial of the criminal investigation process in which the Ministry is a participant Public and the defendant is the former ambassador of Angola to Ethiopia, Arcanjo do Nascimento, accused of committing the crime of embezzlement, in a case whose rapporteur is judge João Fuantoni, and 15 declarants.

There is also the conviction for two years in prison, with a suspended sentence, of Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Paulo de Jesus da Silva, who was accused of arms trafficking.

Of particular note is the acquittal of the Supreme Court of the accusation of abuse of power, by the Public Prosecutor, Natasha Sulaia.

During the period under review, the criminal jurisdiction of the Supreme Court (TS) heard 448 cases, of which 215 were covered by the amnesty, while in the civil jurisdiction 292 cases were tried and 89 others were heard by the labor jurisdiction.

It is also noteworthy that 176 guarantee judges have come into operation, whose work in the country in the first five months was positively noted by the president of the Supreme Court (TS) and the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSMJ), Joel Leonardo, during the 6th Ordinary Session of the CSMJ Plenary last October.

At the time, data indicated that the guarantee judges had already analyzed 13,439 criminal cases, out of a total of 13,669, which resulted in the issuance of 3,615 release and bail warrants.

A total of 4,859 arrest warrants were issued, while 230 cases remained undecided.

Also, during 2023, there was an increase of 11 judges for the Courts of Appeal of Luanda, Benguela and Lubango, making a total of 71 magistrates in this specialty at the country level.

PGR

On the other hand, the Attorney General's Office (PGR) reiterated, once again, its commitment to the pursuit of preventing and combating corruption, and the head of the institution, Hélder Pitta Grós, defended the importance of permanent cooperation between the different bodies of the administration of Justice and society in actions to prevent and combat this phenomenon, which he considers to be a transversal evil of widespread concern.

Data released in December this year by the Attorney General's Office, as part of the Strategic Plan to Prevent and Combat Corruption, which was in force from 2018 to 2022, indicate the opening of 2,521 criminal cases, of which 464 were sent to the court, which resulted in 20 convictions and 84 dismissals.

According to the results, within the framework of these processes, 25. 046,341,787, 32 (twenty-five billion, forty-six million, three hundred and forty-one thousand, seven hundred and eighty-seven kwanzas and thirty-two cents) and 14,088,102.00 (Fourteen million, eight hundred and eighty-eight thousand, one hundred and two dollars), as well as 800,000,000.00 (eight hundred million euros).

With regard to asset recovery, in the same period, the Angolan State, through the National Asset Recovery Service of the PGR, recovered, in cash, immovable and movable property a total value of 5,329,007,842.83 (five billion, three hundred and twenty-nine million, seven thousand, eight hundred and forty-two dollars and eighty-two cents).

Also in this area, various assets were seized, in Angola and abroad, valued at 12,930,788,169.01 (twelve billion, nine hundred and thirty million, seven hundred and eighty-eight thousand, one hundred and sixty-nine dollars and one cent).

However, the judge defends the digitalisation of court services at national level and the need to encourage employees who stand out in the exercise of their function and points out as immediate tasks the inauguration of the courts of appeal of Uíge, Saurimo (Lunda Sul) and Viana (Luanda).

The General Treasury of the Courts, the implementation of the courts of Cazenga, Icolo and Bengo, both in the capital of the country, Nzeto (Zaire) and Kibala, in the province of Cuanza Sul, were also mentioned among the priorities, aiming, above all, to open 'paths' to satisfy the legal appeal of citizens.

Court of Auditors

During the year just ending, the Court of Auditors (TC) recorded the granting of 169 visas for public investment contracts, subject to preventive inspection.

Of these figures, about 73.3% (124 visas) were granted in the last six months, a period in which the institution made important progress in the processing of cases subject to preventive inspection, according to the president of this Court, Sebastião Gunza.

During the period in review, the body responsible for overseeing the legality of public accounts noticed, among others, the implementation of the legal regulations regarding the daily visa session, which made the processing process faster.

It implemented, still in its initial phase, a process of reforming the structures and functions of the court, as well as the implementation of a technological solution for the distribution of processes by electronic means, a step towards the digital transition, taking into account given the modernity of the court. VC/VIC/DOJ