Independence and impartiality

Section 27(1) of the Constitution states that the Ombudsman shall be independent from any other organ. As such, the Ombudsman does not receive instruction from the President of the Republic, National Parliament, Prime-Minister or Government concerning its actions or activities.

To guarantee this independence and to avoid conflicts of interest, all staff positions in the Ombudsman are incompatible with a remunerated activity in a private company or body or any other employment as a civil servant (article 10 (3) of the Ombudsman Statute). The Organic Law also states that the Ombudsman will, “carry out its duties independently of the Government and other sovereign bodies, political parties and other entities and powers that might otherwise influence its work” (article 2 (1) of the Organic Law).

This post is also available in: TetunPortuguese