Mozambique’s Attorney-General Acknowledges State’s Commitment

20 May 2011

Luanda — The Attorney-General of Mozambique, Augusto Raul Paulino, on Thursday in Luanda, acknowledged the commitment of the Angolan executive to the development of this country’s judicial institutions.

The Mozambican magistrate said so during a lecture that he delivered on “Global criminality and local insecurity, Mozambique’s case”, which was attended by the Angolan Attorney-General, José Maria Moreira de Sousa, staff from the Interior Ministry, National Police, and Armed Forces (FAA).

Speaking at the event held in the amphitheatre of the Osvaldo Serra Van-Dúnem High Institute of Police Sciences, the Mozambican magistrate said his country has “indestructible” historical ties of brotherhood and co-operation with Angola,

After commending the commitment of the executive to investing in justice organs, including the courts and police, the Mozambican jurist reminded that the prosecution departments work directly with those institutions.

He also stressed that criminality is a reality that happens in all continents and countries and that it demands a well equipped police force, one that is capable to fight the new types of crimes.

“Oftentimes, the states, because of scarcity of resources, end up giving priority to the productive sector to the detriment of the non-productive ones”, explained the official, who also visited the premises of the Osvaldo Serra Van-Dunem Institute, adding that this is not the case in Angola.

Augusto Raul Paulino reiterated that organised crime constitutes a serious threat to society, calling the attention to the fact that sometimes this kind of criminality can penetrate in the executive, legislative and judicial powers of a country.

In his opinion, phenomena like trafficking of drugs and arms, money laundering, among other practices, can not exist without a structured network acting at national level, but with international ramifications.

With the appearance of new criminal practices at the international level, other techniques that had disappeared are also resurfacing, such as piracy on the high-sea and kidnapping of people.

Still on Thursday, the Mozambican Attorney-General was received in an audience by the Angolan Head of State, José Eduardo dos Santos, with whom he discussed the need to reinforce co-operation with the Angolan counterpart institution.

Speaking to the press after the audience, held in the Presidential Palace, in Luanda, Augusto Raul Paulino said it was a courtesy meeting that served to transmit greetings from the Attorney-General Department and from the Head of State of Mozambique, Armando Guebuza.

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