Attorney General Highlights Issues in Pre-Trial Detention Oversight

Luanda: The coordinator of the Southern Judicial Region of the Attorney General's Office, Vanderley Bento Mateus, acknowledged on Monday the existence of flaws in the oversight of pretrial detention control. According to Angola Press News Agency, these shortcomings, as pointed out by the Deputy Attorney General, continue to generate situations of excessive punishment in the region's prisons, which is considered the most serious form of personal coercion. Speaking at a training session on sentence execution and pretrial detention oversight, the magistrate emphasized the persistence of excessive punishment cases, although exact figures are not available. These cases vary across the region's five provinces, highlighting the need for greater coordination among all justice professionals. Vanderley Bento Mateus called for streamlining procedures and demanding greater rigor from the Public Prosecutor's Office, courts, criminal police agencies, and prison services. The Huila Penitentiary Service currently houses 84 0 inmates, 455 of whom have been convicted. Notably, seven cases of excessive pretrial detention have been recorded for more than eight months and are currently under appeal.