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Justice

The interior of a courtroom, symbolising Portugal's administrative courts

A Lisbon Court Orders the State to Pay José Sócrates €15,000 for Leaking His Case — Prosecutors Will Appeal

The Administrative Court of Lisbon has ordered the State to pay former PM José Sócrates €15,000 over leaks of information under judicial secrecy during Operação Marquês. He had sought €205,000; prosecutors are appealing. The civil case is separate from the long-delayed criminal trial.

The Portugal Brief 06 Jul 2026

Container ships loaded with stacked freight containers berthed beside gantry cranes at a port terminal

Portuguese Customs Seized €30 Million of Goods in 2025, With Counterfeits the Biggest Haul

Portugal's Tax and Customs Authority recorded 9,272 seizures worth some EUR30 million in 2025, with counterfeit goods the largest share by value. Customs also confiscated around three tonnes of narcotics and more than three million cigarettes as e-commerce parcels reshape the workload.

The Portugal Brief 05 Jul 2026

A red Bombeiros Lisboa fire engine parked on a cobbled street in Lisbon, Portugal

Eleven Fundao Firefighters Will Stand Trial Over the Alleged Sexual Assault of a Teenage Recruit

The Public Prosecutor's Office has charged eleven volunteer firefighters from Fundao, aged 22 to 53 and including a chief and subchief, over the alleged rape and sexual coercion of a 19-year-old recruit in September 2025. The commander has resigned; all are presumed innocent.

The Portugal Brief 05 Jul 2026

The modernist Palacio da Justica courthouse building in Lisbon under a clear sky

Resolving a Dispute Through the Julgados de Paz in Portugal in 2026 — A Practical Guide to the Small-Claims Peace Courts, the €15,000 Limit, the €70 Fee, Mediation and When You Do Not Need a Lawyer

Portugal has a cheaper, faster alternative to the ordinary courts for everyday civil disputes worth up to €15,000: the Julgados de Paz. A practical 2026 guide to what they can hear, the flat €70 fee, the mediation stage, how to file, and when you can appeal.

The Portugal Brief 04 Jul 2026

The Caixa Geral de Depósitos headquarters building in Lisbon at dusk

Supreme Court Rules Caixa Geral de Depósitos Must Index the Meal Allowance It Pays on Workers' Holidays

The Supremo Tribunal de Justiça has ruled that Caixa Geral de Depósitos must raise each year the meal allowance it pays to staff on holiday, overturning a lower court. It reinforces a wider principle: a benefit paid consistently for long enough becomes a right that cannot be frozen.

The Portugal Brief 03 Jul 2026

An image symbolising Portugal's justice system and the courts

Judicial Police Arrest Three Doctors Over a Fake-Disability Pension Scheme as Social Security Halts 182 Payments

In 'Operação Relax', the Judicial Police detained four people, three of them doctors, over an alleged racket certifying fraudulent invalidity pensions for cash. Social Security has suspended 182 payments, saving an estimated €18.5 million.

The Portugal Brief 03 Jul 2026

A row of European Union flags flying outside the European Commission's Berlaymont building in Brussels

Brussels Channels €81.4 Million to Portugal to Green the Judicial Police and Forensic-Medicine Estate

The European Commission is putting €81.4 million into Portugal from its carbon-market-funded Modernisation Fund — €67 million to modernise the Judicial Police's energy systems and €14 million for greener forensic-medicine buildings, part of a €2.5 billion round across ten member states.

The Portugal Brief 02 Jul 2026

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