The President of the Mozambican Association of Judges (AMJ), Esmeraldo Matavel, said yesterday, Friday (26), in Maputo, that his organization recognizes the existence of magistrates involved in acts of corruption that have led to their dismissal and expulsion.

"We, as the Mozambican Association of Judges, recognize that there have been some cases of our fellow judges involved in situations of corruption," said Matavel, during a National Seminar to Publicize the Ethical Commitment of Judges in Mozambique.

Cited by AIMThe source added that "this recognition comes about because we have had cases of colleagues expelled or dismissed from the judiciary for allegedly being involved in corruption".

According to Matavel, whenever the association receives information about cases involving colleagues, it is a painful situation for the people, the state and the class of judges.

In fact, the judge is the moral reserve of society because it knows that its problems will be resolved by people of good repute.

"More than anyone else, the judge must not be corrupt, must not embezzle funds from the court coffers, must not collect money from any citizen, must only fulfill his mission, which is to administer justice on behalf of the people," he said.

He said that in recent years the number of judges involved in corruption has tended to fall because the data shows that there are fewer cases.

"We want to be like our colleagues in other countries, where it's normal for a judicial system to go 20 years without any corruption cases, We also want to reach that level, it's not easy, but it's a challenge we have."

Another aspect raised by the Association has to do with the status of the judge "We work mainly with new judges who have this spirit, this struggle to work even in precarious conditions, but without getting involved in acts of corruption".

The AMJ sees raising awareness among colleagues (judges) as one of its most important weapons.

The deterioration of the judge's status is worrying because we have judges who don't have a car and to go to the provincial capital they have to take public transport or "chapa" with their defendant, their victim, witnesses and there are even cases with relatives of convicts.

As a result, judges are totally vulnerable. It is important to note that this cannot be used as an excuse, because even when they are hungry and lack working materials, judges should not accept the pressure.

As for the debate on the financial independence of the courts, it remains in the spotlight.

"We think the time has come for the Mozambican state to give the courts effective independence. The budget should no longer depend on the government and the Assembly of the Republic, the courts cannot beg the government for a budget"

The event was attended by members of the AMJ, the Vice President of the Supreme Court, João Beirão, the Ombudsman, Isaque Chande, the President of the Mozambican Bar Association (OAM) Carlos Martins, a representative of the Coordinator of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, Gina Montserraj Pagespetit and other guests.