Individual Corruption

The Angolan judicial system is characterised by understaffing, inefficiency and corruption, according to the US Department of State 2010. This image of the judiciary is also painted by Freedom House 2011, according to which, the courts are hampered by a lack of training and infrastructure, a large backlog of cases, and corrupt practices.

Moreover, among other problems is the fact that only few municipal courts are functioning, and cases end up in the provincial courts characterised by a substantial backlog of cases. As a result, traditional or informal courts are utilised, according to the Freedom House 2011.

Business Corruption

The World Bank & IFC Doing Business 2012 and the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 illustrate that Angola's courts are not sufficiently efficient and are subject to political influences of members of government, citizens and companies. Similarly, the US Department of State 2011 reports that the Angolan judicial system lacks capacity and efficiency. Legal fees are high, and most companies avoid taking commercial disputes to court. Furthermore, court officials are underpaid and often accept bribes in order to expedite cases.

The World Bank & IFC Enterprise Surveys 2010 reveals a remarkable distrust among companies towards the effectiveness and fairness of the Angolan justice system. Commercial contract enforcement through the judicial system is notoriously slow - almost double the regional average.

Political Corruption

According to Freedom House 2011 and the US Department of State 2010, the judiciary is widely corrupt and subject to extensive executive and political influence. Also, the Bertelsmann Foundation 2010 portrays the judicial system as highly dependent on and suffering from interference by high-ranking politicians. The fact that several sources criticise the judiciary's independence in practice should be viewed in the light of this institution's formal accountability to the Ministry of Justice. The Supreme Court has little to no influence, and mainly serves the desire or need of high-level figures for legitimacy.

However, at the same time, the Freedom House 2010 points out that some courts have occasionally ruled against the government.

Frequency

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012:
- Business executives give the independence of the judiciary from influences of members of government, citizens, or companies a score of 2.4 on a 7-point scale (1 'heavily influenced' and 7 'entirely independent').

- Business executives give the efficiency of the legal system for private companies to settle disputes and to challenge the legality of government actions and/or regulations a score of 2.5 and 2.5 respectively on a 7-point scale (1 'extremely inefficient' and 7 'highly efficient').

The World Bank & IFC: Doing Business 2012:
- Enforcing a commercial contract in Angola takes 1,011 days, requires 86 procedures, and costs over 44% of the claim on average.

The World Bank & IFC: Enterprise Surveys 2010:
- 23.6% of companies identify the legal system/conflict resolution as a major constraint.

- 23.7% of companies surveyed believe that the court system is fair, impartial and uncorrupted.