"Even if the statute of the Angolan ombudsman gives a period of 15 days, in Luanda, for the entities to respond and they do not always meet that deadline", said Florbela Araújo, speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a training session on human rights that takes place in Luanda, within the scope of the presidency of the network of ombudsmen of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), currently exercised by Angola.
Outside Luanda, the period is extended to 30 days and abroad to 45 days.
"By the way, when we put these deadlines in the letters, some are even offended, but we are not inventing anything, it is in the law that approves the statute", added the ombudsman.
The official also highlighted that, although Angola is not at the level of Portugal, where complaints are received mainly electronically, complaints to this body have increased, as well as the performance of public, central and local administration entities, in terms of investigation, inspection and control, with visits to prisons, hospitals, homes, day care centers "and other places where the population generally complains that they do not have the best conditions".
The objective is to publicize the role of the ombudsman and the control he must exercise over central and local administration bodies, public service concessionaires, defense and security bodies and associations, he said, drawing attention to the duty of cooperation.
Miguel de Menezes Coelho, coordinator of the Portuguese Ombudsman's Office and a specialist in Human Rights, who was a speaker at this Wednesday's session, highlighted that the role of these institutions is to find "fair solutions".
"More than saying that you advocate for a plaintiff, it is more correct to say that you are between the plaintiff and the administration to find a fair and suitable solution for everyone," he explained.
Land conflicts, delays in the courts and delays in survivors' pensions are the main complaints that reach the Ombudsman's Office, according to data provided by Florbela Araújo last week.
