Nyusi criticises courts “distant from the public” – Watch

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Nyusi criticises courts “distant from the public” – Watch

7:52 CAT | 05 Nov 2018

presidencia.gov.mz

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Monday criticised Mozambican courts for being very closed and distant from the public whom they are supposed to serve.

This aloof behaviour occurs at all levels of the court system, and means that citizens only come into contact with the courts when they have problems to solve, said Nyusi, speaking to senior figures in the legal system at the start of “Legality Week”, held every year in early November. This year Legality Week is being held under the slogan “For an effective and modern justice system”.

The President called on the courts to work with the communities, arguing that closer links with communities will allow citizens to understand better how the courts work. He hoped that the courts could become true centres for the reduction of asymmetries, and for social inclusion and the promotion of citizenship.

“We want to encourage you to open up to the public”, he said. “Sometimes we are faced with the feeling that justice is far away from the communities. This distance is often geographical, but it is also formal because sometimes court decisions do not chime with the notion of justice that the public has”.

Nyusi insisted that justice should be quick, accessible, timely and fair. He warned that delayed justice can negate the guarantees of access to the courts, and that when the justice system is inefficient it has high costs, which include the erosion of the image of judicial bodies, dissatisfaction among citizens, and disbelief in the State.

He added that justice is also a condition for economic development, because businesses will only invest if they have guarantees of judicial security and seriousness in order to avoid unpredictable or interminable conflicts.

“Our justice system should facilitate investments”, Nyusi urged. “It should defend national economic interests and should not hide the interests of individuals who only want to profit from the people’s sweat. This demands courage because when you make justice, you are seen as targets”.

Heading the delegation of senior jurists, Justice Minister Joaquim Verissimo said the celebrations of Legality Week are a sign of the continual effort to promote justice that is speedier, closer to citizens and responds effectively to their longings.