Public Minister can however interfere if he thinks the crime will not
be punished if left to the Chief.

The Public Ministry consists of a Procureur d'État appointed by the
Sovereign, who acts in the Court of Appeal and of substitutes appointed
by the Governor General, who act in the other Courts. Their duty is to
discover all infractions of the law in the whole territory of the State
and to see that all decrees, arrests, ordinances and penal regulations
are carried out. They are especially instructed to arrange that any
native who has been injured receives full compensation before any fine
is taken to the profit of the State.

Any region can be placed under military law by a decree of the Governor
General. Civilians however, are only subject to the ordinary penal laws,
and those who are not natives, can appeal against any decision of a
Court Martial. In practice these simple methods work admirably and it is
difficult to understand why they should not be equally successful in old
civilised countries and a good substitute for the complicated and
cumbrous machinery of to-day.

[Illustration: THE NATIVE HOSPITAL AT BOMA.]

FOOTNOTES:

[1] This list is taken from _Justice Repressive (État Indépendant du
Congo)_ and is based on a Decree of 1896. Since then other Territorial
Courts have been or are about to be added.

[2] Some of the greater Chiefs and Sultans have the power to inflict the
death sentence.