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Justice

The entrance to the Campus de Justica de Lisboa, with the court complex signage

Prosecutors Shelve a Third Corruption Case Against Manuel Pinho, Finding No Proof He Sent a Million Euros of Tourism Money to the Firm That Hired His Son

The Ministério Público has closed the third corruption file to grow out of the EDP case against José Sócrates's economy minister. Prosecutors could not prove he steered a state tourism contract to the consultancy that later employed him, his son and his stepdaughter.

The Portugal Brief 19 Sep 2026

A Polícia Municipal de Lisboa traffic van in white and yellow livery crossing a Lisbon street, with tiled apartment buildings and tram wires behind it

Selling Fake Drugs in the Baixa Is About to Become a Crime in Its Own Right

The government will classify it as a public crime of fraud, which means prosecutors can act without a complaint from the tourist who was sold a bag of pressed bay leaf and has already flown home.

The Portugal Brief 19 Sep 2026

The carved stone lettering Supremo Tribunal de Justiça above the wrought-iron entrance gate of Portugal's Supreme Court in Lisbon

A Domestic Violence Victim's Pre-Trial Statement Now Stands Even If They Refuse to Testify, Portugal's Supreme Court Has Ruled

Acórdão do Supremo Tribunal de Justiça n.º 6/2026, published on Friday, fixes case law: a court may weigh declarações para memória futura taken before a judge during the investigation even when the victim later exercises the right to refuse to give evidence at trial.

The Portugal Brief 19 Sep 2026

A PSP police station in Nazare, a low modern building with the blue and white POLICIA sign on the corner and a marked patrol car parked at the kerb

Portugal's Summer Policing Operation Ended With 7,214 Arrests, and the Commonest Ticket Was for a Phone in the Driver's Hand

Drink-driving and driving unlicensed came within one arrest of each other. Of 60,420 penalty notices, 11,730 were for using a mobile at the wheel.

The Portugal Brief 18 Sep 2026

A Portuguese public health centre in Rio Maior, Santarem district, a low white and blue-trimmed building with a pitched glazed section and cars parked outside

The Health Regulator Has 368 Beauty Clinics Queued for Inspection and Has Managed 223 Since 2023

Two establishments were shut down in the first half of this year, both over people performing medical procedures they are not qualified to perform. Those files go to the prosecutor.

The Portugal Brief 18 Sep 2026

Member state flags outside the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg

Portugal's Fast Track for EU-Funded Public Contracts Fails in Luxembourg, and a Losing Bidder's Automatic Suspension Comes Back

The Court of Justice ruled on Thursday that Article 25-A of Portugal's Public Procurement Code, which lets a contracting authority strip a challenge of its suspensive effect without the losing bidder being heard, is precluded by the Remedies Directive.

The Portugal Brief 18 Sep 2026

A Caixa Geral de Depositos branch on the ground floor of a pale stone corner building in central Lisbon, its blue signage above the windows and pedestrians crossing in front.

A Former Finance Minister Testified on Thursday That Putting Armando Vara on the CGD Board Was His Own Decision, Not Sócrates's

Fernando Teixeira dos Santos told the Operação Marquês trial the choice was his alone. His immediate predecessor testified in November that Sócrates had insisted on Vara from the start, and the prosecution built a corruption count on that appointment.

The Portugal Brief 17 Sep 2026

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