The Ministry of Defense postponed the consideration of the case of 13 servicemen who refused to be sent to the Navy ship

The State Department has decided to suspend hearings in the case of the 13 soldiers who refused to board the Mondego, at the discretion of the public prosecutor, in order to analyze the process in more detail, the defense said today.

“According to the determination of the prosecutor of the 10th department of the DIAP, the procedure was carried out to no avail. We have information that the prosecutor’s office is analyzing the situation,” Paulo Graça, a lawyer representing the 13 soldiers, said in statements. reporters in front of the Military Judicial Police in Restelo, Lisbon.

Paulo Graça said 13 soldiers were not prosecuted and no new hearing deadline was set, reiterating that “the prosecutor’s office is reviewing the situation and has ordered diligence to be fruitless.”

“It is perfectly normal that the prosecutor, as an independent judge, wants to see this process in order to determine what they understand by definition,” he said.

Asked if he thought, despite this suspension, that 13 soldiers would become defendants, the lawyer replied: “I don’t think I should go there.”

Paulo Graça added that the 13 soldiers will now “perform normally in their assigned posts” and “work normally”, adding that they have a “very calm and very dignified posture”.

Asked if the military claimed after talking to them that the decision not to go on board was due solely to the lack of security conditions, Paulo Graça said that “the reasons that determined that these military personnel were involved in this case are broad.” .

“They will be known with certainty at the right time and through the proper processes: we cannot get ahead of ourselves, justice will break through, namely civil justice. As for the justice of the Navy, we already know what we are,” he stressed.

Paulo Graça said that disciplinary proceedings are already underway in the Navy, despite the fact that they do not yet know their contours, but foresee that they will be “a real farce.”

“The admiral, the chief of staff of the Navy, has already decided in the Navy what he understands in this regard. And therefore, 13 disciplinary processes will probably be 13 farces,” he said.

The lawyer said that the sanctions provided for in these processes of the Navy, “may reach up to disciplinary arrest for 30 days in part,” which is “the highest measure of punishment provided for by the charter of military discipline.”

“But there is also a suspension, there are other sanctions. Everything is possible from A to Z,” he said.

In turn, García Pereira, who also represents 13 soldiers, believes that the disciplinary processes of the Navy are already “predetermined”, since Admiral Enrique Gouveia y Melo “promised and boasted that they make decisions quickly and that sanctions measures will be taken quickly.” “.

“There is nothing to expect in the fleet, because everyone understands that there will not be a single officer of the fleet who dares, in the current situation, to go against the decision that Admiral Gouveia e Melo has already taken and has already conveyed to the commander in chief. country, under penalty of a country also suffering from possible consequences,” he said.

Despite this, García Pereira emphasized that “the disciplinary decision can also be challenged in court”, foreseeing that “a lot of water has flowed under the bridges in relation to this issue.”

“One thing that impressed me was the serenity, pride and pleasure that these men wear the uniform of the navy. We are not talking about boys, irresponsible, unfortunate people, (…) we are talking about people who gave their lives in the Navy, some of them 20 years ago, with honors,” he stressed.

The 13 soldiers who refused to board the Mondego claiming lack of security were due to be heard today by the PJM in Lisbon as part of a criminal investigation following the involvement of the Navy.