Rui Patrício, partner at Morais Leitão, wrote the article 'The process is the one that commands the most', published in Público, in which he analyses the growing role of the criminal process in public and political debate in Portugal.
Based on a recollection with the firm's founder, João Morais Leitão, the author traces the evolution of criminal law in recent decades and questions the way in which judicial proceedings, and in particular pre-trial investigations, have come to occupy the centre of media and political attention, especially during election periods.
In the article, Rui Patrício identifies a replacement of political discussion by a predominantly procedural logic, pointing out that structural issues such as health, housing or climate have been sidelined. He says that processes are important, but that their place should not be as the main axis for organising public life.
Read the full article in the attachment below.
(The article is in portuguese only)
