The deputy of Chega, Francisco Gomes, questioned the Minister of Justice about the closure of the Ombudsman’s Office services in Madeira, considering it “a direct attack on Madeirans’ access to justice and a serious failure of the State.”
In the application presented, the parliamentarian recalls that “the Ombudsman’s Office is a body essential to the defence of the rights, freedoms and guarantees of the citizens,” underlining the importance of institutional proximity in an outermost region.
Francisco Gomes, quoted in a statement, criticizes the end of a face-to-face service, which left citizens without direct monitoring, and classifies the decision as a centralist policy option that treats Madeira “as a secondary territory.”
The deputy is calling on the Government of the Republic for explanations and swift action to reopen services, including restoring regular in-person operations, warning that the lack of a response “worsens territorial inequality and erodes citizens’ trust in state institutions.”
The Ombudsman’s Office operates independently from the Ministry of Justice, as it is an autonomous state body elected by and accountable to the Assembly of the Republic. Currently, Portugal has no Ombudsman, since the previous officeholder, Maria LĂşcia Amaral, became Minister of Internal Affairs, and as yet has not named a successor within the statute’s 30 days.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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