Latest news and stories about judiciary in government in Portugal for expats and residents.
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The magistrate refused to comply with a ruling by the Supreme Court of Justice. The case has been awaiting trial for more than three years.
More than a leader, Dr Luísa Proença leaves a deeply human mark on an institution known for its structural rigidity.
The Constitutional Court has ruled against the Lisbon City Council (CML) and upheld a conviction related to the 'Russiagate' case.
The head of the Portuguese Bar Association has allied with judges in an effort to stop or delay procedural actions related to the Operation Marquês investigation.
SMMP reported that the Lisbon West Judicial District has a shortage of staff, run-down facilities and obsolete computers.
A raid on group 1143 turned Luís Neves into a target of ultranationalists. Mário Machado's lawyer challenges the investigating judge.
José Preto, the lawyer who resigned from José Sócrates's defence, appeared on CNN Portugal where he explained the reasons for his resignation.
None of the judicial decisions that José Sócrates believes violate the European Convention on Human Rights have become final. This could lead the European Court of Human Rights to summarily dismiss the complaint.
In February, the country learned that lawyers were seen by the Superior Council of the Judiciary as an impediment to procedural speed. That message was conveyed subliminally and later widely publicised in the so-called “Letter for Speed and Better Justice”, drafted by a working group composed of judges and ...
A court has applied a cumulative prison term totalling four years to Mário Machado and denied the request to suspend the sentence, meaning he must serve the term without suspension.
Sócrates wanted to add to his complaint a set of new information relating to developments in recent weeks in the trial of Operation Marquis.
A man wanted by German authorities for assaulting and raping a woman on three occasions in 2023 has been detained by Portugal’s Judicial Police in Porto. He will be presented to the Porto Court of Appeal as Portuguese authorities consider the German request and possible extradition; under the charges he could face up to 15 years’ imprisonment. The arrest underscores cross‑border cooperation in serious sexual‑violence cases and the next legal steps will determine whether he is surrendered to Germany or prosecuted in Portugal.
On the day he was notified of José Preto's resignation — the second lawyer to stop representing him since the start of the Marquês trial — the former prime minister wrote to the court to complain of a 'double standard'.
The bill was already approved in December last year at a Council of Ministers meeting and follows the recommendation of a working group set up by the Superior Council for the Judiciary.
Press review: In the CSM report proposing this measure, it is stated that the aim is 'an effective and deterrent instrument, comparable to the fine for litigation in bad faith'.
Lawyers for Helder Bataglia and José Paulo Pinto de Sousa (a cousin of José Sócrates) pressed Pedro Ferreira Neto during the second part of his testimony in the Operation Marquês trial.
José Preto accuses Judge Susana Seca of 'intimidation' and insists on a five-and-a-half-month period to inspect the case file, despite having already resigned from José Sócrates's defence after refusing to accept being denied the same time as the Public Prosecutor's Office to review the indictment. The appeal will be decided by the Lisbon Court of Appeal.
The Bar Association and the Superior Council of the Judiciary are moving ahead with a 'task force' to prevent trials from dragging out. A pool of court-appointed defence lawyers will include 2 to 3 people per case.
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.
Lawyer Pedro Barosa explains how the remainder of José Sócrates's trial will unfold following the resignation of lawyer José Preto.
Lawyer José Preto, who on Tuesday resigned from the defence of José Sócrates in the Operação Marquês case, insists it makes no sense to appoint a court‑appointed lawyer to replace him.
João Massano, president of the Bar Association, explains why the trial of José Sócrates is not at risk of stopping, even after the resignation of lawyer José Preto.
Lawyer José Preto withdrew from Sócrates's defence because the judge did not suspend the proceedings despite his illness. Luís Rosa, lead writer at Observador, says the court's decision was lawful.
An analytical update on the protracted Sócrates trial, framed as a slow-motion courtroom drama punctuated by unexpected or seemingly choreographed incidents that lend a surreal air to proceedings. Journalist Luís Rosa outlines how procedural delays, political overtones and episodic disruptions have complicated the legal narrative, raising broader questions about the judiciary’s capacity to deliver timely justice and the need for legal and policy reform to protect public trust. The piece examines implications for corruption cases and systemic reform in Portugal’s judicial and political spheres.
