President of the Supreme Court of Angola resigns
With cases under suspicion of corruption since 2023 at the Attorney General's Office, which received several complaints and denunciations, the target of a class action lawsuit by the Portuguese Bar Association, and also criticized for alleged nepotism and abuse of power, the judge remained in office. The President of Angola only stated in March 2023, after the crisis at the top of the Angolan justice system : "Some suspicion also hangs over the Supreme Court, and the Public Prosecutor's Office is working to establish the truth of the facts." João Lourenço then requested that the investigation be awaited and that no hasty conclusions be drawn. And Joel Leonardo remained at the head of the Supreme Court until, in a letter dated August 27, he announced his resignation for health reasons.
“In recent times, the signatory's health situation has not been satisfactory, which is why I hereby inform Your Excellency, Mr. President of the Republic, of the cessation of my duties as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Superior Council of the Judiciary,” reads the document to which Observador had access.
This Thursday, the Palace announced its decision, after reporting that it had received "formal communication today [Thursday]. "Considering the reasons given, the President of the Republic has agreed to the termination of the aforementioned functions, under the terms presented," reads a statement posted on the Presidency's official Facebook page.
However, some sources contacted by Observador indicate that Joel Leonardo was "pushed," or rather, "given in to political pressure to leave," including from within the Palace itself. The issue may be the successive allegations of abuse of power, nepotism, corruption, and mismanagement, but also the restructuring the government is reportedly preparing to undertake at the top of the courts before the 2027 elections.
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