Mozambique: Magistrates propose financial independence law

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Mozambique: Magistrates propose financial independence law

12:38 CAT | 11 Mar 2025

File photo: Noticias

In the coming days, judicial magistrates and the Public Prosecutor’s Office will propose to the Government a law on the financial independence of the courts, as a way to solve the problems that plague the class.

According to Esmeraldo Matavele, president of the Mozambican Association of Judges (AMJ), there is a committee that is working on the matter and is finalizing the preliminary proposal, to be submitted to the Executive, which has the power to forward a proposal to Parliament.

He emphasized that there is hope that the future law will solve 90 percent of the class’s problems, from wages, security to medical and drug assistance, transportation and housing.

While the proposal does not move forward, the judges say they hope that the government will resolve specific issues related to classification in the Single Salary Table (TSU).

“AMJ was involved in this process, gave its opinion and is waiting for the Government to approve the changes,” he told “Notícias” last week on the sidelines of the National Conference of Mozambican Judges.

However, regarding corruption in the judiciary, he stated that the practice is reducing.
As an illustration, he mentioned that until 2022 there was an annual average of two to three judges expelled, but from 2023 until today no magistrate has been removed for corruption, and there is no disciplinary process underway that indicates such a sanction.

“Judges are aware of not getting involved in acts of corruption and not using funds from the coffers illegally,” he stressed, clarifying that most of the cases were related to judges who used funds from the court coffers for personal purposes.

On that occasion, he condemned what he considered to be the disproportionate use of force by the Police in containing demonstrations, an act that, according to Matavele, resulted in fatalities. Along the same lines, he criticized the way in which the demonstrations have been carried out, calling for the law to be observed.

“We ask for restraint from the police and citizens who must exercise their right to demonstrate in an orderly and peaceful manner, without vandalizing property or blocking roads,” he said.

Source: Noticias