Rédaction Africa Links 24 with ANGONOTÍCIAS
Published on 2024-03-02 00:35:21
The dean of the Angolan Bar Association considered today that the country is an “embryonic” rule of law state and called for a more independent judiciary, based on financial autonomy.
José Luís Domingos considered Angola as an “embryonic” rule of law state that is “growing”, in statements made on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the 2024 judicial year, in response to the Freedom House report, which classified Angola as a “not free” country.
“It is normal for the journey to be long, institutions have to be increasingly strong,” he said, advocating that a more independent and efficient judiciary will help in the consolidation of the rule of law.
“The rule of law does not start at a perfect level, it grows, just like people, I think Angola [the rule of law] is in the embryonic stage, we need to nurture it so that it becomes increasingly robust,” he said, emphasizing that the executive and the judiciary are aligned with this premise of consolidation.
The official reiterated that courts will not be independent without financial autonomy, which has not yet been achieved. “It is necessary for the executive to change its attitude regarding budget control, both in preparation and disbursement,” said the dean, emphasizing that the most important thing is to “put pressure on institutions to do their job better and better.” The Angolan jurist also stated that it is necessary to increasingly direct the limited funds available to fundamental sectors, such as justice.
The new dean – elected in December of last year – said that the judicial power in Angola has two essential pillars, independence and efficiency, and expressed confidence that “there will be no retreats because the people need justice.”
José Luís Domingos also spoke about the need to rethink the model for selecting judges of the higher courts, in which there is discretionary power of the President of the Republic to appoint a chief judge chosen from among his peers, advocating for a Justice reform commission, within which these issues can be discussed.
In his speech, he called for the strengthening of institutions as the only way to “build a nation that everyone is proud of,” considering that “unfortunately, for the majority of Angolans, a decent life is a dream.”
To the 12,000 lawyers he represents, he expressed hope for a practice of law “with more dignity,” urging legal professionals to have “courage and be committed to Justice under penalty of being just graduates in Law.”I am confident that it will not happen overnight, but we will have the necessary Justice,” he concluded. The opening of the 2024 judicial year took place today in Luanda, under the theme “Towards achieving financial autonomy and modernizing judicial activity.”
Read the original article (Portuguese) on Angonoticias
