New São Tomé SC President Calls for Unity to Rescue Justice
In a candid assessment of the nation’s legal system, Eurídice Pina Dias has been elected as the new President of the Supreme Court of Justice (STJ) of São Tomé and Príncipe. Following her victory, Dias issued a powerful “mea culpa” on behalf of the judiciary, calling for urgent unity to rescue the justice system from what she described as a “bitter state.”
A Call for Reform and Responsibility
Dias secured the presidency with four votes from the five-judge bench, defeating her colleague Leonel Pinheiro. In her victory remarks, she did not shy away from the challenges facing the court, acknowledging the judiciary’s own role in the current crisis.
“I would like to bring everyone together so that we can join forces for the sake of São Toméan Justice,” Dias declared. “It is not just today that justice has been in a bitter state, but it is also partly our fault. Making this ‘mea culpa,’ I want to appeal to everyone so that we can unite; for my part, I will do everything I can to serve and to serve better.”
A Trailblazing Career
At 48, Dias becomes the second woman to lead the STJ, following in the footsteps of Alice Vera Cruz. Her election marks a historic moment for the court, which now features three female judges on the bench—a first for the island nation.
A graduate of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in Brazil, Dias has a storied career across the Lusophone world. After entering the São Toméan judiciary in 2002, she spent several years in Cape Verde, serving as a public prosecutor and as an advisor to the Cape Verdean Attorney General. She returned to the São Toméan Court of First Instance in 2015 and ascended to the Supreme Court in 2022, where she served as vice-president and judicial inspector. She had been leading the body in an interim capacity since April 2024, following the resignation of Silva Gomes Cravid.
Addressing Structural Deficits
Beyond the crisis of public trust, Dias is facing a practical crisis: a severe shortage of personnel. While the recent swearing-in of two new judges helped alleviate the court’s “glaring deficit,” Dias noted that the bench is still not at full strength.
The new president expressed hope that the staffing issues would be fully resolved following the conclusion of the institution’s most recent recruitment cycle, allowing the court to focus on its primary mission of restoring the rule of law in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Image: Pexels – Mark Stebnicki
