Mozambique’s attorney general has acknowledged that discipline among pubic prosecutors is an issue for the body, warning of a “systematic increase” in reports of corruption and poor service.
“Another challenge facing our body is the discipline of professionals in the Public Prosecution Service, as there has been a systematic increase in complaints and reports related, at times, to the unacceptable behaviour of magistrates, bailiffs and bailiffs’ assistants,” said the attorney general, Beatriz Buchili, during the swearing in in Maputo of 13 members of the High Council of the Public Prosecution Service.
Buchili cited, among other problems, corruption, poor customer service, delays in processing cases, absences from work and interpersonal relationship problems as some of the recurring complaints against public prosecutors.
The attorney general asked the new members of the high council to improve internal mechanisms, with the aim of raising the ethics and deontology of professionals in the Public Prosecution Service, demanding that they fulfil their duties.
“The stance of this class should inspire confidence in citizens, as it is the body with the mission to prevent and combat, unrelentingly, these evils that end up contributing negatively to the construction of our democratic rule of law,” she said.
She highlighted the challenge at a time when magistrates are discussing with the government improvements in salaries, security for professionals, autonomy and financial independence, following a list of demands submitted in July of this year.
On 19 August, the president of the Mozambican Association of Public Prosecutors, Eduardo Sumbana, told Lusa that his members were making “important progress” in talks with the government.
Mozambique has a total of 774 magistrates, a little over 300 more than in 2019, the attorney general said on Thursday.
“In terms of the management of magistrates and judicial officers, we have strengthened our territorial coverage and currently have 774 magistrates and 1,691 officers, compared to 466 and 1,249, respectively, in 2019,” concluded Beatriz Buchili.
Lusa
