Joel Leonardo, who was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of 40 new appellate judges and 20 new judges, at the Palace of Justice, in Luanda, warned that society expects a quick resolution of disputes and stressed that the act is "clear proof" that Angola is moving towards the consolidation of the democratic rule of law.
"Values such as speed and efficiency were the basis for your promotion to such high responsibility. This means that society expects you to maintain the pace, maintain responsibility and that is why you have earned the trust of the CSMJ", he said.
The new appeals court judges will reinforce the intermediate instances in the north of the country, with the president of the CSMJ hoping that the cases in Malanje, Cuanza Norte and Uíge, judged at the first instance level, will now have "a reduced delay".
For Joel Leonardo, the experience that the judges had in first-instance courts will be translated into procedural speed in the intermediate instance.
The presiding judge of the Supreme Court also urged the newly sworn-in magistrates to "correct defects and eliminate imperfections" in the processes that reach their offices.
"Let us implement justice and being fair means being swift, that is, the proceedings in our offices must be resolved as quickly as possible. Brevity is not enough, we need effectiveness, which must be implemented," he noted.
Addressing the new judges, Joel Leonardo said that their mission will be to resolve citizens' conflicts, highlighting the need to place the interests and protection of citizens at the top of their agenda.
The opening of the 2025 judicial year is scheduled for March 7th in the province of Uíge, where the province's Court of Appeal will be inaugurated on that occasion.
