Photo: Leadership

Court gavel

Maputo — Mozambican President Armando Guebuza on Wednesday called on the bodies that administer justice to guarantee that citizens can enjoy their constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms.

He was speaking to representatives of the courts, the public prosecutor’s office and the police on the occasion of “legality day” which was celebrated on Monday under the theme “Every Citizen an Activist against Corruption”.

Guebuza declare that reaffirming the commitment to repressing crime and corruption expresses the collective will to guarantee greater integrity, transparency and rigour in the management of public assets.

In the case of the bodies of the administration of justice, he said, the mission to fight against the obstacles to development “starts out from the guarantee that citizens can enjoy their rights and freedoms, from the defence of the legal order and from ensuring observance of the law in the context of the democratic, law-governed state that we have been consolidating”.

The challenges facing the legal system, Guebuza added, include “refining institutional performance through improving coordination between the institutions and sharing good practices”.

New challenges arose from the current boom in mineral and hydrocarbon discoveries. Guebuza said these imposed added responsibilities on the justice system, which had a role to play in improving the business environment in Mozambique, while ensuring strict compliance with legality.

Speaking on behalf of all the bodies of the administration of justice, the President of the Supreme Court, Osias Pondja, reaffirmed their commitment to doing all in their power to ensure the observance of the country’s laws and the defence of the legal order.