The President of the Republic today considered “a pity” that “great attention” is not being given to the justice sector in Portugal, arguing that the war in Ukraine and the economic and social crises would justify another attitude.
“Although the economic crisis, inflation, war, social problems have thrown Justice into a very dim position in the minds of the Portuguese, it is a pity that, with a constitutional revision process underway and with changes in the laws underway that have to do with Justice, don't give – it was the great conclusion of this congress – great attention to Justice at this moment in Portugal”, stressed Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
The head of state was speaking to journalists outside the Madeira Congress Centre, in Funchal, after participating in the closing session of the XII Congress of Portuguese Judges.
Referring that he tried, in 2016/2017, to initiate a reform in Portuguese Justice, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that “this time there may be a greater sensitivity”.
“Crises, war, do not mean paying less attention to Justice, they mean paying more attention”, he reinforced.
The President of the Republic pointed out that, since politicians “have to solve social problems every day, related, for example, to inflation, health or the lack of housing, “this ends up throwing Justice to the fifth place, the sixth place the seventh place”.
“Well, justice is very important why? Because there is any problem that concerns the economic and financial crisis, the courts have to decide, there is any problem that concerns, for example, fundamental issues, the courts have to decide”, he argued.
“There are problems that, therefore, result from the situation in the world and the crisis that this situation causes in Portugal, of which inflation is an example, which will end up in court. If they end up in court, it means that it is worth looking at justice”, insisted Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Questioned, on the other hand, if he considers that there is distrust on the part of citizens in relation to that area, the President of the Republic was peremptory: “I do not think there is distrust in relation to Justice, they are very demanding, increasingly demanding, and that naturally means Justice has more means to correspond”.
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