Criminal
Código Penal 1993 with narcotics trafficking as the dominant enforcement problem
The 1993 Código Penal, Portuguese in structure, governs. The death penalty is abolished. Guinea-Bissau's criminal justice profile is defined by its role as a transit point for South American cocaine, with prosecutions of senior officials rare.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Tribunais Regionais and the Supremo Tribunal de Justiça; a specialised narcotics unit operates with international support.
- Deadline — Detention before judicial presentation: 48 hours
- Deadline — Prescription: by offence class under the Código Penal
Governing law
- Código Penal1993
- Código de Processo Penal
- Lei n° 5/2011 sobre o combate ao tráfico de droga
In practice
Guinea-Bissau has been described as the region's first narco-state, and the practical failure of criminal law here is one of enforcement against the security apparatus itself: senior military figures have been indicted abroad, including by the United States, while domestic prosecutions stalled. Judicial infrastructure outside Bissau is minimal, with many regions lacking a sitting court.