Union regrets refusal to open extraordinary course for magistrates

O The Union of Public Prosecutors (SMMP) today lamented that the Minister of Justice had removed the opening of an extraordinary course of formation of magistrates, defending this solution in response to the current needs and expected jubilations.

At the parliamentary hearing for discussion on the subject of the next State Budget, Rita Alarcão Júdice, in response to the MEP of the CFP Paula Santos, today refused to open an extraordinary course of training magistrates of prosecutors, as the Public Ministry (MP) intends, for reasons of equality, since responding to this request would imply accepting a shortened course, which would also call into question the quality of the training required and provided.

He also stressed that in the last training courses of the Center for Judiciary Studies (CEJ) the MP was privileged, and practically doubled the number of vacancies for future prosecutors.

In a statement sent to Lusa, the SMMP stressed that Rita Alarcão Júdice’s position “does not respond to the current needs of the MP nor, much less, to the jubilations foreseen for the coming years.”.

“The SMMP has advocated the creation of this special course as a response to the deficit of magistrates and the growing difficulties in services,” he stressed, pointing out that “in the last five years, the number of vacancies open to the MP has remained chronically below the needs.”.

“ The figures speak for themselves: almost half of MP magistrates are over 50 years old and more than 20% are close to the age of jubilation. There are hundreds of experienced prosecutors who will leave the MP in a short time”, one can read.

According to the SMMP, “the ordinary course takes about three years until the autonomous exercise of functions and can barely compensate for the jubilations of each year”, warning that “it cannot therefore reduce the deficit of more than 200 magistrates in relation to the legal frameworks”.

“The SMMP stresses that in March next year, even with the takeover of prosecutors who are currently in stage, the number of magistrates will be lower than that of homologous periods,” the union also pointed out.

The union also rejected “the narrative that a special course would compromise the quality of training because it has a shorter duration”.

“ It is not understood why an extraordinary course would be, by definition, less demanding, especially because it addresses candidates already approved in previous entry competitions, who only did not enter due to lack of vacancies ", stressed.

For SMMP, this “would be the fastest way to integrate qualified magistrates, restore the margin of the supplementary boards and give the MP the breath it needs”.

SMMP also pointed out that “any discussion about the recruitment of magistrates should be based on a medium and long-term vision, capable of ensuring the renewal of the staff and the ability of the MP to respond to the increased complexity and volume of processes”.

“ The defense of legality is the difference between having a functioning Justice or a Justice that collapses for lack of those who do it ", concluded the union.