Justice Minister Refuses to Respond to PGR Criticism

The Minister of Justice refused to respond to criticism from the Attorney General of the Republic, Lucilia Gago, who considered serious the words of Rita Alarcán Judice, who pointed out the need to put “house in order” in the Ministry of State (MP).

When Lusa was questioned shortly after Lucilia Gago’s interview with RTP1, her first since she took over the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) in 2018, the Ministry of Justice assured that there would be “no reaction” from Rita Alarcao Giudice.

Lucilia Gago acknowledged that the Justice Minister’s recent interview with Observador magazine was the “driving force” behind the public reaction and accused Rita Alarcao Judice of failing to give her any diagnosis about the MP during a hearing that lasted three hours.

“I heard these statements and was a little incredulous and puzzled. They are unintelligible and serious. Unintelligible because I said that a diagnosis had been made. And I didn’t say that to myself in a three-hour hearing, it would have been a great opportunity to do that. Seriously, because it says that the MP has a situation of lack of leadership, lack of communication skills and a need to get his house in order. I reject this criticism, which holds the MP solely responsible for the bad things that happen in the courts,” he said.

PGR also denounced the existence of a “planned campaign” against the MP, using the justice minister’s words in the context of attacks on her judicial system.

“It states very directly and sharply that there has been a loss of confidence in the deputy and the current leadership that carries out the PGR in recent times. This is an extraordinary statement that holds the deputy responsible for the bad things that happen in the justice system, which I categorically reject,” concluded Lucilia Gago.

In a recent interview with Observador, Rita Alarcao Judice said that something needs to change in the MP to build trust and that “the new attorney general must restore order” and reveal his management and leadership skills.

“There is a diagnosis that has been made. There is a certain amount of discredit and noise around the MP. He is being attacked a lot. The MP is very important, his abilities and authority are crucial for the proper functioning of the judiciary. And therefore it is very important to have someone who can restore this trust,” the minister said in an interview published on June 27.