Duarte Santana Lopes talks to ADVOCATUS about corruption, mega-cases and the future of criminal justice

In an interview with ADVOCATUS, Duarte Santana Lopes addressed key issues such as the General System for the Prevention of Corruption (RGPC), the role of the Public Prosecutor's Office, the challenges posed by mega-cases and the importance of the pre-trial phase in criminal proceedings. In his analysis, he highlighted Menac's communication failures in relation to the RGPC platform and underlined the confusion about the obligations of private entities. Despite these difficulties, he considered that the RGPC had played a positive role in raising awareness among companies of the importance of preventing corruption and related offences.

With regard to mega-cases, he pointed out that they are responsible for significant delays in the criminal justice system, with the investigation phase being the biggest contributor to delays. To mitigate this problem, he advocated the introduction of fixed deadlines for the duration of investigations, as well as greater digitalisation in all phases of the criminal process. According to Duarte Santana Lopes, these measures could help reduce response times and make the system more efficient.

With regard to the pre-trial phase, he said that although it has an important role to play, he would not be shocked if it were to disappear, as long as it is replaced by mechanisms capable of ensuring that cases are dealt with properly and that unfounded judgments are avoided. Finally, he stressed the need for the Public Prosecutor's Office to be more open to civil society and dialogue, and reiterated the importance of a pluralist perspective in the exercise of justice.

Read the full interview here.