The session was scheduled for November 27, Thursday, but André Ventura requested its postponement this week due to the ongoing State Budget voting in Parliament for 2026.
The court considered, in accordance with the order accessed by Lusa, that the leader of Chega would be “hindered in the exercise of his duties as a member of the Assembly of the Republic.”
On Tuesday, the court gave André Ventura a 24-hour deadline to submit the power of attorney justifying his absence from the session set for November 27, and the Chega leader subsequently delivered the document.
The date of the first session is yet to be decided, with the court asking the lawyers to confirm their availability on December 16 and 18.
The action in question, submitted at the beginning of this month by lawyer Ricardo Sá Fernandes, also seeks to compel André Ventura to pay a fine of five thousand euros for each day of delay or for posters that may be displayed with similar content.
In the posters placed by Chega in various locations including Moita, Montijo, and Palmela, the following phrase, accompanied by a photograph of André Ventura as a presidential candidate, is visible: “Gypsies must obey the law.”
According to the plaintiffs, the posters “convey the message that Gypsies do not obey the law,” which “stigmatizes and humiliates the Gypsy community as a whole.”
The message on the posters “offends the moral integrity and the right to dignity” of those targeted, the plaintiffs further argued, adding that “André Ventura cannot hide behind freedom of expression.”
