Judges in corruption cases face harassment – AIM report

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Judges in corruption cases face harassment – AIM report

2:51 CAT | 04 May 2019

Chairperson of the Mozambican Association of Judges, Carlos Mondlane. Photo: O País

Mozambican judges who hear corruption cases are being harassed and pressured, according to the chairperson of the Mozambican Association of Judges, Carlos Mondlane.

Speaking at the opening session of the First Congress of Mozambican Judges in Maputo on Thursday, Mondlane declared “It’s worth noting that judges are not political actors. Judges are not politicians. In their behaviour, they are not motivated by political interests, they don’t defend group interests, nor do they defend demoralising objectives”.

“Judges don’t persecute anybody”, stressed Mondlane. Instead they operate on the basis of the Mozambican constitution, and are guardians of principles which defend human dignity, and other fundamental rights.

Cited by Friday’s issue of the independent daily “O Pais”, he warned that, when judges are threatened, this could bring the judicial system further into disrepute, and ensure that justice does not reach those who need it most.

“Groundless insults and mockery, which are often made against judges, may be comforting for the ego of those who make the insults, they may be useful politically, but they have a price”, said Mondlane. “They bring justice into disrepute, and with this they increase the cases of private justice, with all the effects that flow from this”.

Threats against judges could damage the entire legal system, he warned, noting that “a frightened judge is perverse for the system. Citizens could see their rights endangered, because the person who’s supposed to look after them is not comfortable doing so. He’s scared!”

The Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Joao Antonio de Assuncao, stressed that the main challenges facing the justice system are the shortages of financial, human and material resources.

“When this lack of resources affects judges, compromising their reaction as guarantors of the Constitution, then we are facing a retreat from the values of the democratic rule of law since the independence and professional dignity of the judges are affected”, warned Assuncao.

Source: AIM