ANGOLA Law and Practice Contributed by: Cecília Mungongo, FBL ADVOGADOS
evidence and closing arguments of the parties, although in certain cases the closing arguments in matters of law may be filed after the hearings. Witnesses, experts and parties may be heard at the hearing. During the trial, a judicial inspection may also be carried out. 7.2 Case Management Hearings The length of the trial depends, essentially, on the number of witnesses or the quantity of other evidence to be produced, as well as the com- plexity of the factual evidence. Both the plaintiff and the opposing defendant may indicate up to 20 witnesses in respect of the grounds of the claim. If there is a counterclaim, they may offer additional witnesses in respect of the grounds of such counterclaim. In any case, either party may offer only three witnesses for each specified fact. In the simplest cases, there is usually only one hearing. More complex cases may require two or more hearings, for the reasons described above. There are no deadlines for the hearings. The speed of the proceedings depends on the avail- ability of the court, the complexity of the case and the diligence of the parties. 7.3 Jury Trials in Civil Cases There are no jury trials in civil cases. 7.4 Rules That Govern Admission of Evidence The subject matter regarding which evidence is admissible is previously specified by the court; therefore, only the production of evidence on these specific facts is allowed. Evidence to be produced at the trial is provid- ed by the parties in advance, once the matter subject to evidence is ruled by the court. The production of all evidence that the party intends
to present, such as questioning witnesses and experts, or conducting judicial inspections, as well as requesting documents and information from third parties, should be applied for within the deadline for that purpose, after the court has specified the controversial facts to be proven. However, documents intended to establish the grounds of the action or of the defence must be filed alongside the pleading in which the facts those documents purport to prove are relied on. When presented later, up to the end of the plead- ings, the party who presented it will be subject to a fine, unless it can be shown that it could not have presented the information before. After the pleadings, it is not possible to add documents unless the interested party demonstrates that they could not have been presented earlier. Notice may be given to the opposing party requesting the submission of documents in its possession that may be of interest to the case. The court may also be required to request docu- ments or information from any other parties. 7.5 Expert Testimony Parties are permitted to require the production of evidence by experts. The court may also take the same initiative. 7.6 Extent to Which Hearings Are Open to the Public The trial hearing is public, except when the court decides otherwise to safeguard people’s dignity and public morality, to maintain the confiden- tiality of any evidence or to ensure the courts’ normal functioning. It is very common for family law hearings to take place behind closed doors, given the sensitivity of the issues discussed in the hearing and the involvement, in some cases, of minors.
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