Huambo: The provincial council of the Angolan Bar Association (OAA) in Huambo has delivered 903 legal aid services to needy citizens in 2024, focusing particularly on issues related to paternity denial and illegal dismissal, as announced by the local president of the OAA, Domingos Sassi, on Tuesday.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the beneficiaries included citizens facing challenges in recognizing a de facto union due to death, along with 412 family cases, 225 labor cases, 204 criminal cases, and 62 civil/administrative cases. Sassi noted that in 2023, the Provincial Council managed 814 legal aid cases.
He encouraged citizens to approach municipal administrations when their rights are violated, to request a poverty certificate, attach proof of violations, and ask the President of the Provincial Council for a lawyer. Upon request, a lawyer will be appointed free of charge.
Sassi pointed out the slow processing of habeas corpus, the absence of a dedicated room for lawyers in municipal commands of the National Police, and the lack of punctuality of judges at hearings as significant challenges faced by members in the province.
Concerning the OAA elections in Huambo province scheduled for June 2024, Sassi mentioned that the results remain suspended due to a controversial challenge by one of the competing lists. The OAA provincial council in Huambo currently comprises 546 lawyers and 556 trainees, managing 61 offices, with 54 located in the municipality of Huambo, four in Ca¡la, and three in Bailundo.
