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Mr. Ombudsman of Justice
Subject: Renewed complaint to the Ombudsman of Justice concerning serious administrative failures in the child-return proceedings under the Hague Convention
INTRODUCTION
Following the complaint submitted on 26 April 2026, and still without any response to this day, I am renewing before the Ombudsman of Justice the issue of the serious administrative failures identified in the communication and coordination between the Portuguese Central Authority for the Hague Convention and the Judicial Court of Cascais, in the child-return proceedings identified under reference 2023/GAVPM/3898.
The facts already documented remain unchanged: the Portuguese Central Authority received the official request from Luxembourg on 24.01.2023, the parents informed the court on 30.01.2023 and 31.01.2023, the Central Authority formally requested a suspension of the proceedings on 11.04.2023, and yet the interim measure filed by the Public Prosecutor on 29.06.2023 remained undecided for 17 months. The result was a delay of 99 weeks in a proceeding that should have been handled urgently, in accordance with the Hague Convention and the protection of the child’s best interests.
The absence of any institutional response to this complaint, despite the objective seriousness of the facts, reinforces the need for public scrutiny and independent examination. For that reason, this documentation is now being renewed, in order to ensure transparency and to prevent the issue from being obscured in a case that raises serious questions about the coordination between Portuguese State institutions and compliance with the international obligations undertaken by Portugal.
SPECIFIC REQUESTS:
- Administrative inquiry into communication failures between the Portuguese Central Authority and the court.
- A report on Portugal’s compliance with the Hague Convention (the 6-week deadline)
- Recommendations to the Portuguese Central Authority and the Ministry of Justice for future proceedings.
- Notification of the follow-up given to the complaint.
FULL DOCUMENTATION AVAILABLE:
- Public website: Pela Justica (anonymised case-file documents and hearing recordings)
- Complaint to the CSM: Proc. 2023/GAVPM/3898
- Hearing recordings + original documents available on Pela Justica
This situation represents a serious systemic failure in Portugal’s compliance with its international obligations, with irreversible harm to the child and the parent concerned.
Thank you in advance for your urgent review.
Luxembourg, 8 July 2026