Latest news and stories about court proceedings in Portugal for expats and residents.
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Luís Rosa analyses the new court-appointed lawyer assigned to José Sócrates by the Bar Association. The appointment was decided by the General Council of that association without a draw, a matter which the former prime minister has already contested.
The Government is studying measures against delaying tactics, including fines of 10,000 euros, while the Public Prosecutor's Office requests the mandatory presence of the former prime minister at all future hearings.
The withdrawal of court-appointed lawyers and the replacement of legal counsel is not unique to former Prime Minister José Sócrates, who is facing trial for 22 crimes. Nuno Matos, president of the Portuguese Judges' Union Association (ASJP), notes that while it does not happen every day, it is more common than imagined, though the high-profile nature of this case makes it appear more significant. Following the resignation of Sócrates' fourth court-appointed lawyer, the court has scheduled the playback of recorded testimonies for the next 20 sessions to allow future counsel time to prepare without halting the trial.
Rita Júdice says she cannot “at this moment do anything else” regarding the successive refusals by former Prime Minister José Sócrates' lawyers in the 'Operação Marquês' case, but admits to reviewing payment deadlines for court-appointed lawyers.
It is not the first, but the most recent news in which a lawyer is accused by the Guimarães Court of Appeal of citing non-existent rulings generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) has reignited the discussion on the use of this technology by lawyers and judges. The issue is particularly relevant at a time when tools based on...
