Procedures
Portuguese-derived civil procedure with no OHADA route and functioning enforcement
The Código de Processo Civil, Portuguese in origin, governs. Appeal lies to the Tribunal da Relação and then the Supremo Tribunal de Justiça. Cabo Verde is outside OHADA, so the Uniform Acts and the CCJA do not apply.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Tribunais de Comarca at first instance, Tribunal da Relação on appeal, then the Supremo Tribunal de Justiça.
- Deadline — Appeal: within the period set by the Código de Processo Civil after notification
- Deadline — Enforcement (execução): commenced on a judgment or other executive title
Governing law
- Código de Processo Civilas adapted
- Lei n° 88/VII/2011 sobre a arbitragem
- Lei da organização, competência e funcionamento dos tribunais judiciais
In practice
Because Cabo Verde is outside OHADA, creditors use the Portuguese-style acção executiva rather than the injonction de payer, and there is no supranational commercial appeal. Case disposition times are shorter than the regional average, and the 2011 arbitration law aligned the country with the UNCITRAL Model Law, supporting its use in tourism investment contracts.