The government has pressed ahead with its plan permanently to close twenty courts across the country, including the one in Monchique. Despite two years of objection and negotiation by mayor Rui André (pictured), the closures were confirmed at a meeting of the Council of Ministers.
André reacted immediately to lodge an injunction to try to halt the closure of the Monchique court and commented that he disagrees with the unspeakable action of the Ministry of Justice, saying that his council team was fully behind him in taking out an injunction. André is still waiting for an "urgent audience" with the minister responsible whose behaviour he condemned as "unqualified."
Monchique is host to but one of twenty court closures in Portugal, according to the new Law on the Organisation of the Judicial System, released today by the Justice Minister, Paula Teixeira da Cruz.
In today's statement the Municipality of Monchique claimed that since this closure programme was announced, the mayor has asked "several times" for a meeting at the Ministry of Justice to discuss the issue and present the reasons why Monchique court should not be closed.
"We were communicating with the office of the lady Minister to set a date for the meeting.”
The Ministry had advised Monchique that no closures would be confirmed before the opinions of local town halls had been taken into account. Monchique is still waiting for a meeting but a somewhat devious sequence of events has ensured that the Council of Ministers passed the new laws before any such meeting could take place.
To rub salt into the wound, Rui André heard of the closure through a third party rather than from the Ministry itself causing the mayor to fire off a letter to the Prime Minister to express his outrage at the Justice Minister’s actions.
The time for polite negotiation is over and today’s injunction will keep alive the struggle to maintain a court service in this remote community.
The National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP) is not impressed either and has given its blessing to those councils affected by court closures should they wish to lodge an injunction to stop this process which, in its opinion, "lacks respect for citizens and their fundamental right of access to justice.”
Minister Paula Teixeira da Cruz said today that Portugal "is a free country" and that people have the right to challenge her reforms in this way, even if this is a "mistake," in her esteemed opinion.
