Ondjiva — A total of 3,084 criminal cases were initiated during the first half of this year, by the Attorney General's Office (PGR), in the province of Cunene, compared to 2,730 in the 2023's same period.
The information was provided to ANGOP on Wednesday by the Public Prosecutor for the province of Cunene, Carlos Vungula, stating that the cases opened had 3,427 defendants, 285 more compared to the same period last year.
He said these were criminal, civil, administrative, family, labor and minor cases, of which 1,430 were referred to the Court and others were in the preparatory investigation phase.
There are also 8 cases of an economic nature, linked to corruption, embezzlement, undue receipt of advantages, tax and customs fraud, as well as 9 others linked to fuel smuggling.
He informed that, as part of the entry into operation of the guarantee judges, the Public Prosecutor's Office took 257 detainees to jail, after preliminary interrogation and application of preventive detention coercion measures.
During the aforementioned period, the PGR received 374 complaints, of which 305 were in response to legality, as well as receiving 778 letters and holding 9 lectures linked to legal education.
Carlos Vungula reaffirmed his commitment to combating fuel smuggling into Namibia, through speedy prosecution of similar cases, so that their perpetrators are held criminally responsible at an early stage.
The intention, he argued, is to prevent the processes from reaching excessive preventive detention and the applicants requesting freedom.
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He also referred to the need for justice bodies in other provinces that send their convicts to serve sentences in the Peu Peu facility to be more attentive to the deadlines for issuing letters of release in due time.
He said there are reports of convicts with sentences served, but who remain in place awaiting the release order, so it will be necessary to carry out a survey with the prison services to determine the number of defendants in these conditions.
PGR waits for new magistrates
However, he made it known that the body is awaiting the arrival of 11 new magistrates, who will reinforce procedural speed, highlighting that the PGR only works in Cuanhama, Namacunde and Cahama, while Ombadja, Cuvelai and Curoca are extensions.
Currently, there are 15 magistrates in office including the incumbent, 6 of whom have already been transferred, insufficient to serve the municipalities, the Court, the investigating body and the Police.
He said that the concern is assossiated to the lack of living conditions for magistrates, the reduced number of justice technicians and access roads, often requiring the transport of detainees from these areas to Ondjiva in order to be heard. FI/LHE/SC/CF/DOJ
