ANGOLA Law and Practice Contributed by: Cecília Mungongo, FBL ADVOGADOS
voluntary. Intervention provoked by the defend- ant is intended to share or exclude their respon- sibility and is based on the assumption that the new party has an interest identical to or compet- ing with one of the initial parties. The procedural position of the called person may be parallel to that of the plaintiff or the defendant. Interested parties may also intervene as assis- tants of the plaintiff or the defendant, in which case they will only have an auxiliary role for that party. An intervention at the request of the defendant shall be requested within the time limit for the opposition. If such request is filed by the plain- tiff, the time limit will be that for replying to the opposition. Where intervention is voluntary (to intervene as a party or to assist one of the ini- tial parties), such request should be submitted spontaneously at any time, provided that it is before the date of the trial has been designated or, if no trial is to take place, before any judgment has been handed down. The intervention of any interested person in the process is done through third-party intervention, “call to the authorship”, “call to the demand”, assistance, opposition and main intervention. 4.5 Applications for Security for Defendant’s Costs The defendant cannot request that the plaintiff makes a security payment for the defendant’s costs. 4.6 Costs of Interim Applications/ Motions To the extent that they do not fall under the com- mon procedure, interim applications are consid- ered incidents subject to additional court fees.
When lodged, the court sets the amount of these fees in accordance with the legal cost table. 4.7 Application/Motion Timeframe There is a general deadline of five calendar days for the judge to rule on any claims submitted by the parties; this period may differ for certain specific acts of the judge. The timeframes with- in which officers have to comply with their acts should always be added to these deadlines. In procedures that are considered legally urgent, some deadlines may be exceptionally short. However, it is normal for courts not to comply with these deadlines and therefore any applica- tions may not be ruled on for a much longer time. There are no discovery mechanisms in civil cases. However, there is a general duty of co- operation, which allows either party to request that any person or the opposing party delivers documents in their possession. 5.2 Discovery and Third Parties Only applying for a court order can prompt third parties to deliver documents in their possession. 5.3 Discovery in This Jurisdiction The law of civil procedure enshrines the principle of the co-operation of all persons to discover the truth, whether parties or third parties. However, the production of evidence within this co-opera- tion is ruled by court orders under either party’s request. Lawyers are not entitled to request any documents or information directly from any other person, except public registries. 5. Discovery 5.1 Discovery and Civil Cases
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