Prime Minister of Portugal Luís Montenegro is visiting São Tomé and Príncipe to attend the inauguration ceremony of the re-elected President. The leaders will discuss regional and international cooperation, keeping in mind Portugal's upcoming role on the UN Security Council.
A morally upright man, knowledgeable about the long history that unites the two nations, Montenegro is concerned about the sexual crimes that have marked São Tomé in recent years, often involving high-ranking figures in the political and judicial apparatus. In January 2025, the Coordinator of the Judicial Police was arrested, as he was accused of sexually abusing and impregnating a 14-year-old minor. In April, the President of the Supreme Court of Justice. was accused of sexual abuse and placed his mandate at the disposal of the judiciary. Currently, the Attorney General of the Republic is also under suspicion.
These cases and many more have intensified public outrage regarding systemic impunity for public figures. A lack of swift legal consequences or fear of reporting creates a sense of impunity that allows offenders to continue. Civil society organizations like SOS Mulher have noted that 50% of local crimes are of a sexual nature.
Portugal engages in institutional and judicial cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries (PALOP and Timor-Leste) to help build local legal systems, train magistrates, and strengthen the rule of law. Portuguese judges and prosecutors are officially seconded by judicial authorities like the Attorney General's Office to lead or teach in partner countries' judicial training academies.
