Ondjiva - Between May and December 2023, roughly 1,804 criminal cases were analysed by the guarantee judges in the southern Province of Cunene, said Tuesday the President of the Cuanhama First Instance Court, Afonso Pinto.
Speaking to ANGOP, he said that the cases had been analysed by the three guarantee judges since the specialty was created on 2 May 2023.
According to the magistrate, of this number, 449 resulted in pre-trial detention, 438 arrest warrants, 348 application of coercive measures, 345 first judicial interrogation cases, 125 release warrants, 98 changes to the measures and one bail.
He pointed to murders, sexual violations, cattle theft, physical assaults, thefts, misdemeanours, among others, as the main offences.
He said that despite the shortage of judges, the work is going smoothly, with a good rapport with the magistrates from the Public Prosecutor's Office.
"These three guarantee judges, including the president of the Court, are responsible for the entire territory of the province, dealing with all the defendants and the places where the Public Prosecutor's Office is based", he emphasised.
He said that two more courts are planned for Cunene, one in Cuanhama, with headquarters in Ondjiva, which will deal with cases in the municipalities of Cuanhama, Namacunde and Cuvelai, and another in Xangongo, which will deal with the municipalities of Ombadja, Cahama and Curoca.
The work of the guarantee judges is comprised in the article 33 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, with the duties of declaring measures restricting liberty at the pre-trial stage, which was previously exercised by the public prosecutor, as well as, carrying out the first judicial interrogation of detained defendants and ordering searches of establishments, admitting people to assist in proceedings, requesting and reviving legitimacy.
With a surface of 87,342 square kilometres and more than 1 million people, Cunene Province has six municipalities, 20 communes and 542 locations.
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