Latest news and stories about court ruling in government in Portugal for expats and residents.
The Supreme Court has established that 'future memory statements' made by domestic violence victims during initial inquiries can be admitted as evidence, even if the victim refuses to testify at trial, aiming to protect victims from repetitive trauma.
The Portuguese Navy has reopened disciplinary proceedings against crew members who refused to board the NRP Mondego in 2023, following a Supreme Administrative Court ruling that annulled previous sanctions due to procedural errors.
In March, following the passage of Storm Kristin, the Coimbra City Council cancelled the public tender for a programmer that had been launched by the previous administration, citing a lack of funds to fulfil the contract (worth 36,000 euros per year for three years).
The Sintra Court ruling on the death of Odair Moniz during a police operation in Cova da Moura highlights that officer Bruno Pinto should have lowered his Glock after firing warning shots into the air. However, the judges note that before firing the two fatal shots, the officer was the victim of “ongoing – in execution and imminent – and also unlawful assaults” by the cook.
The Évora Court of Appeal stated that the ruling by the three judges who reviewed the appeals of ten convicted defendants 'partially altered the facts deemed proven'.
The Lisbon City Council approved the payment of two indemnities this Thursday, totalling nearly 40 million euros, following court rulings related to urban planning processes from three decades ago, including the construction of the Alvalade XXI Complex. In a private meeting, the municipal executive reviewed two proposals to comply with court decisions regarding these cases.
André Ventura failed to meet the deadline to appeal a Lisbon Court of Appeal ruling that upheld the removal of a campaign poster stating “Gypsies must obey the law.” Despite previously vowing to take the case to the Constitutional Court, the Chega leader did not file an appeal. The court's ruling, which cited European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence, concluded that political free speech does not protect racist or xenophobic discourse that targets specific ethnic groups.
In 2025, the ECHR ordered the Portuguese State to pay compensation exceeding 209,000 euros. According to the report, the majority of cases concerned detention conditions and freedom of expression.
Coimbra Court of Appeal confirms the woman's conviction.
André Ventura, leader of the Chega party, has announced he will appeal to the Constitutional Court after the Lisbon Court of Appeal upheld a ruling ordering the removal of a poster stating 'Roma people must obey the law'. The court deemed the message discriminatory and beyond the limits of free speech, contradicting a separate Public Prosecutor's decision to archive a criminal inquiry into the same posters. Legal experts argue the Court of Appeal's ruling highlights the limits of free expression regarding hate speech, while criticizing the Public Prosecutor's reasoning as unfounded.
The Court of Appeal considers that the fact that André Ventura is a politician does not grant him special rights to freedom of expression that supersede the Constitution or the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Supreme Court of Justice had annulled the previous ruling because the defendant was not informed that he was no longer considered legally insane, ordering a partial retrial.
The Central Criminal Court of Lisbon has decided to uphold the 25-year prison sentence for the man who confessed to killing two women at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon in 2023, refusing to deem him mentally unfit for trial.
The Lisbon Court of Appeal rejected the appeal from André Ventura and confirmed the initial decision of the Lisbon Civil Court, which ordered the removal of his presidential campaign posters that targeted the Roma community. The leader of Chega and former presidential candidate invoked several reasons in his appeal against the decision of...
The leader of Chega and former presidential candidate invoked several reasons in his appeal against the December decision, including the “right to freedom of political expression”.
The court considers that the “dignity of the human person” was violated
Disciplinary penalties applied to the military personnel were definitively annulled by the courts, but the hierarchy insists on punishing them.
The court considered the Public Prosecutor's accusation “totally unfounded”, deciding to acquit Pedro Vieira of the crimes he was charged with.
A ruling contains harsh criticism of the conduct of the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The ruling concludes that the former banker's right of defence is not being undermined. Salgado's lawyers had sought dismissal of the proceedings on the grounds that he has Alzheimer's disease.
A court has refused Sócrates' petition to declare void the trial hearings that took place while a court‑appointed (duty) lawyer was present, dismissing the claim that the lawyer's presence invalidated those sessions.
The decision to split the proceedings stems from the pre-trial instruction order in the main case issued in April 2021 by Judge Ivo Rosa, then at the Central Criminal Court of Instruction.
André Ventura will appeal the court decision ordering the removal of posters targeting the Roma community. The court had given 24 hours for all posters to be taken down, but the Chega leader says the appeal suspends the court's ruling, so he will not remove the posters for now.
