Tratado do processo criminal preparatorio ou d'instrucção e pronuncia

A mid‑nineteenth‑century legal handbook from the Portuguese administration in Luanda offers a systematic overview of the early stages of criminal procedure. It begins by explaining how any citizen, witness, or even the offended party may bring a public crime to the attention of the courts, detailing the roles of ordinary judges, elected magistrates, and the public prosecutor. The text stresses the need for written or properly recorded verbal statements, complete with names, addresses and occupations of witnesses, and outlines the formal “auto de participação” that becomes the official record of the complaint.

The second section turns to the “corpo de delito,” the core investigative dossier that must be assembled before a case can proceed. It differentiates between permanent crimes that leave physical traces—such as homicide or arson—and transient offenses that rely on witness testimony, describing the required ocular inspections and depositions. By laying out the procedural obligations of administrative authorities and the Supreme Court, the work illustrates how a disciplined record‑keeping system underpinned the colonial justice system.