Latest news and stories about court case in government in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
The trial concerning the death of Odaír Moniz reaches its final phase at the Sintra Court, with closing arguments set to commence following the testimony of a final PJ inspector.
Judge Susana Seca has ruled that lawyer Marco António Amarote must continue representing José Sócrates until a successor is appointed, preventing further delays in the Operation Marquês corruption trial.
José Sócrates is at the Campus de Justiça this Tuesday for another session of Operation Marquês.
The trial regarding the case in Rato is being conducted in private to ensure the protection and dignity of the victims involved.
The trial of the two PSP officers accused of torturing several citizens at the Rato police station began this Friday at the Campus da Justiça. Only the reading of the verdict will be public.
In four and a half hours of testimony, the former official reinforced arguments regarding the Paris house, the high-speed rail project and the houses in Venezuela, but spoke little about other aspects, such as the money trails.
The former prime minister returned to the court that is trying him after a year. In the ninth session in which he spoke, he once again accused one of the prosecutors, describing him as a coward.
The main defendant returned to court to resume the “initial statements” he had interrupted a year ago. The money transfers were once again left out, and Sócrates took the opportunity to attack the Public Prosecutor's Office, the court, and the “delusional” people who hold him responsible for the succession of lawyer resignations.
The defendant and the victim had been in a relationship since 2024. The following year, he allegedly “squeezed the victim's neck with force” until her death. He was arrested in the Czech Republic in 2025 and extradited to Portugal.
The court did not find it proven that Rita Rodrigues insulted the two officers, who also accused her of attempting to prevent the arrest of a street vendor. The officers are currently imprisoned due to the Rato case.
The appeal argues that if a sentence is to be imposed, it should be 'lower'. Regarding compensation, the defence for officer Bruno Pinto argues that if it is to be paid, it should be charged to the State.
In court, the spy faces his former colleagues from the SIS. To defend himself, Carvalhão Gil attacks the system. He will never admit to the crime of espionage. That does not mean he will not be convicted for it.
The case concerns a social media post in which the Chega MP suggested that José Manuel Pureza had committed a “crime against sexual freedom and self-determination” against “a young militant/supporter” of the Left Bloc (BE).
The court believes there is a risk of the criminal activity continuing.
Sócrates, who has not been present in recent months at the trial sessions in which he is the main defendant, ends the request by asking the court
José Sócrates has requested that the court allow him to resume his testimony as a defendant in September, according to a motion sent to the presiding judge of the Operação Marquês trial. In the motion dated Monday and seen by the Lusa agency, the former prime minister states he is acting “in defence of his defence,” adding that what has been happening regarding...
José Sócrates has requested that the court allow him to resume his testimony as a defendant in September, according to a motion sent to the presiding judge of the Operation Marquês trial. In the motion dated Monday, June 22, seen by the Lusa agency, the former prime minister states he is acting “in defense of his defense,” arguing that the situation regarding what he calls a “carousel of lawyers” is not a series of isolated procedural incidents, but rather a “continuous process of compression” of his “defense guarantees,” for which he blames “exclusively the decisions of the Court.” Sócrates, who has not been present at recent trial sessions where he is the primary defendant, concludes by asking the court to “schedule new defendant testimony, as was, in fact, agreed upon when” he gave “his last session of testimony” in September of last year. The court has accepted the suspension of a court-appointed lawyer, leaving Sócrates without legal representation once again. Nine years later, an administrative court will judge Sócrates' lawsuit against the State.
Lígia Correia has been in a relationship with José Sócrates since 2011 and has lived with the former prime minister since 2014. She invoked her relationship with the defendant to justify her refusal to testify.
In the court's view, the document further states, the police officer, who was given a three-year and six-month suspended sentence for homicide, merely intended to 'carry out a legitimate arrest'.
The verdict was announced this Monday at the Sintra court. The cook was fatally shot during a PSP operation in Cova da Moura. The court proved that Odair Moniz did not have a knife nor did he reach for his waistband to draw a bladed weapon. However, it noted several mitigating factors regarding officer Bruno Pinto.
The trial of the PSP officer who killed Odair Moniz in Cova da Moura, Amadora, in October 2024, concludes today, with the reading of the verdict scheduled for 15:30 at the Sintra Court.
All six protesters arrested near parliament on Wednesday, following the CGTP demonstration on the day of the general strike, were released with an identity and residence requirement.
The Court of Appeal has annulled the lower court's decision to acquit former PAN deputy Cristina Rodrigues, who was accused of an 'IT blackout' of party emails, and has ordered a retrial.
In the ruling, the panel of judges upheld the appeals filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the PAN party, annulling the court decision that, in July 2025, acquitted the current Chega party deputy.
The Lisbon Local Criminal Court had previously ruled that the two charges of property damage and illegitimate access to emails, for which Cristina Rodrigues was accused by the Public Prosecutor's Office, were not proven.
The judge followed the position advocated last week by the Public Prosecutor's Office, noting the former banker's inability to comprehend the sentence due to Alzheimer's disease.
The Public Prosecutor's Office requested the conviction of PSP officer Bruno Pinto for simple homicide, the crime for which he is accused, as well as his suspension from duty.
The Judiciary Police (PJ) chief inspector who led the investigation into the death of Odair Moniz testified on Monday, 18 May, that surveillance footage does not show a knife and that she was not informed of any weapon upon her arrival at the scene. During the trial at the Sintra Court, Inspector Cláudia Soares stated her conviction that no bladed weapon was involved, noting that no knife was visible when the victim fell, nor were there any biological traces on the knife later found near the victim's bags. While she confirmed that Moniz was violent and resisted arrest, she highlighted that police officers did not mention a knife when she arrived. The trial continues as other officers maintain they saw a knife near the body.
The chief inspector revealed in court that the cook was violent and acted against officer Bruno Pinto. However, cameras show he did not have a bladed weapon, and forensic laboratory tests reveal that the bladed weapon 'did not have any biological traces'.
This Monday, the Public Prosecutor's Office and the defence teams will be able to present their final arguments in one of the most high-profile cases of recent years.
