Background
He was born in 1913, Mozambique.
He was born in 1913, Mozambique.
Graduated in law from the University of Coimbra in 1936.
He became a member of the Attorney-General’s Department and was sent in 1938 as a law officer to the district of Odemira in southern Portugal, 100 miles south of Lisbon, where he was also registrar. In 1939 he went as Attorney-General’s delegate to Mozambique and became a magistrate at Lourenco Marques. In 1945 he was appointed a judge at Sao Tome, the island off the West African coast.
He became Attorney-General of Goa in 1950 and was representative for Indian interests in the Provincial Assembly from 1951 to 1952. His next move was to be Governor of the Cape Verde Islands in 1953, followed by his appointment as Governor of Sao Tome and Principe. He returned to Mozam-bique in 1964 as an appeal court judge and then became President of the Appeal Court in 1969, a post he held until appointed to the government.
Distinguished judge with over 30 years experience in Portugal’s overseas territories. As well as being in charge of the Interior Ministry, he runs the civil service and is Deputy-General. An expert on labour laws, he is an author whose works have become textbooks. Former Governor of Cape Verde Islands and of Sao Tome, he is a person with a deep knowledge of Mozambique, developed over the years since becoming a magistrate in Lourenco Marques in 1939.