The chief executive, who was speaking Tuesday at the solemn ceremony to open the judicial year in Angola, in Luanda, urged the judicial bodies to continue their work to combat corruption and impunity and stressed that the country "has been taking courageous steps since late 2017, investigating, trying and convicting public servants or former public servants of all levels, from the municipal, provincial and central executive levels, the National Assembly and public companies with the impartiality necessary for the success of this cause.
João Lourenço stressed that the organs of justice "have been tireless", despite the scarcity of means, some lack of experience and working conditions.
"However, internal and external forces, linked to those who have most squandered the public purse, organize campaigns to denigrate and discredit justice and the Angolan State, even with so many concrete examples of indictees, defendants and some already convicted" and that, according to the President, demonstrate the commitment in the fight against corruption.
On Monday, Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of former President José Eduardo dos Santos, who has been targeted in several lawsuits in Angola and abroad, accused Lourenço of trying to illegally "usurp" her property and claimed to have evidence that reveals "a conspiracy" against her, hatched by the Angolan secret services.
This was not the first time that the businesswoman claimed to be a victim of political persecution and complained of being the target of a selective justice that targets the dos Santos family and figures linked to the former president.
Today, João Lourenço insisted that "those who see their castle crumbling inexorably" try to defend their interests and seek to reverse the situation outside the courts.
"They want to be the ones to command the action of Angolan justice, involving the head of state to the point of determining who should be indicted. It is evident that this is doomed to failure," he warned, stressing that the justice system will fulfill its role and the President will not interfere in the work of the justice system "in violation of the Constitution, as they intend it to do.
Among the senior Angolan figures facing justice, some of whom have already delivered assets to justice, are Generals Helder Vieira Dias "Kopelipa" and Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento "Dino", respectively former head of the Military House and former head of Communications of the former head of state, José Eduardo dos Santos, who were made defendants in a case related to contracts between the state and the company China International Fund (CIF), involving the former Office of National Reconstruction.
Also the former vice-president and former "boss" of the state-owned oil company, Manuel Vicente, is pointed out as being involved in corruption cases, being protected from judicial investigations by the immunity granted to former leaders five years after the end of their mandate.
In addition to Isabel dos Santos, whose bank accounts and assets were seized in Angola and Portugal, José Eduardo dos Santos' son, José Filomeno "Zenu" dos Santos, former president of the Angolan Sovereign Fund, was also tried and convicted in a case known as "500 million dollars", but he appealed the sentence and is awaiting a court decision.
In his speech, João Lourenço also asked the justice bodies to act quickly and rigorously against a new type of crime that has worsened: vandalism and destruction of public property.
He also addressed the judicial reform, which has had "significant advances" with the creation of new district courts and reiterated that the country is working on the creation of a business environment that attracts private investment, considering that "a more independent, more credible, more effective and more efficient justice" is one of the essential pieces.
He also pointed out that the executive has decided in the current cycle of governance to give priority to justice, with a new model for allocating revenue, highlighting the recent approval of the co-participation regime for the justice administration bodies, namely the Attorney General's Office and the courts, which will benefit from 10 percent of the net revenue from assets recovered in favor of the State.
The President considered that access to justice is a right and an unavoidable imperative, and a new reform commission has been created with an emphasis on training human resources and improving working conditions.
Other important milestones are the entry into force of the new Penal Code and Penal Procedure Code, "two modern and fundamental instruments" that respond to the realization of justice in these areas, especially in the prevention and repression of economic-financial crime and public management.
In terms of human resources, João Lourenço pointed out that the number of magistrates of the Public Ministry has doubled since the beginning of the legislature, and a competition was recently opened to fill the ranks of the judiciary.
However, he acknowledged that there is still a shortage of human resources in the organs of justice administration, considering that "human capital is the cornerstone of the justice system's evolution.
