These issues, coupled with unattractive salaries and an increasing backlog, are compromising the activities of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) and the regular functioning of the courts, stated Rosário Barbosa, the President of the Porto Regional Directorate of the SMMP, following a plenary meeting at the Porto Court of Appeal.
Rosário Barbosa mentioned that the problems of lack of water and security at the Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DIAP) in Porto, which have already been reported, persist, and so do the leaks at the São João Novo Court, also in Porto.
The DIAP’s water pump has a chronic issue that cannot be resolved because the structures are very old, she explained.
“The conditions are miserable; we cannot wash our hands, for example, we are at that level,” she added.
Regarding security, the prosecutor noted that when leaving the DIAP through the garage, the families and friends of the defendants are right there next to them.
The problems at the São João Novo Court also persist with leaks, damaged ceilings, and water running down the walls of the court, and despite alerts, nothing is done, she indicated.
In terms of IT, Rosário Barbosa reported that the current system is entirely obsolete in both hardware and software.
“We’ve been told about situations where batteries don’t work and are replaced by refurbished computer batteries, which have a short life. There are no external drives, our computers don’t have CD readers, and no one provides us with external CD readers to view evidence, so the magistrate ends up having to purchase one,” she noted.
She added that digitalization, currently being implemented, has further complicated the work due to its poor quality.
Another problem is the lack of salary updates for MP magistrates, which makes the career unattractive, she pointed out.
“Some colleagues say they earned more 20 years ago. This is not possible; it leads to people not wanting to join the judiciary,” she emphasized.
The current complexity of cases and the increased specialization of lawyers is another challenge they face daily, highlighted Rosário Barbosa.
“Nowadays, everything is more specialized, lawyers are much more specialized, they have teams, and we are on the other side completely alone. We have no technical support or staff, so it’s a magistrate alone with a monstrous case,” she stressed.
The prosecutor also recalled the high volume of pending cases in Porto’s generic DIAP units, where each magistrate has between 1,100 to 1,500 inquiries.
“It is impossible and unmanageable for a magistrate to do quality work with this number of inquiries,” she believed.
Rosário Barbosa listed the lack of solidarity from the MP’s Higher Council for portraying an image that everything is fine.
“It gives the impression that we are fine because emergencies and schools are closing, but courts are not. However, work that was once divided among 100 is now divided among 60, meaning the magistrates are exhausted,” she concluded.
