Ministry of Justice (Portugal)
The Ministry of Justice is the Portuguese government ministry responsible for the administration of the judiciary system. It is headed by the Minister of Justice.
The Ministry of Justice should not be confused with the Public Ministry. This last one is not a Government ministry - despite the name - but the independent body of magistrates of the Judiciary charged with the public prosecution and the legal representation of the State before the courts.
Unlike usual in other countries, the Portuguese Minister of Justice does not have any kind of hierarchic authority over the public prosecutors.
Roles
The roles of the Ministry of Justice include:- to conceive, to conduct, to execute and to assess the policy of Justice defined by the Assembly of the Republic and by the Government;
- to assure the relationship of the Government with the courts, the Public Ministry, the Higher Council of Magistrates and the Higher Council of the Administrative and Tax Courts.
History
Organization
The Ministry of Justice is headed by the minister, assisted by the Secretary of State of Justice.The following agencies are part of the Ministry of Justice:
- Directorate-General of the Policy of Justice
- Inspectorate-General of the Services of Justice
- Secretariat-General of the Ministry of Justice
- Judiciary Police
- Directorate-General of the Administration of Justice
- Directorate-General of the Probation and Prison Services
- Institute of Justice Equipment and Facilities Management
- Institute of Registers and Notary
- National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences
- Center of Judiciary Studies
- Crime Victims Protection Commission
- Insolvency Administrators Activity Control and Appreciation Commission
List of ministers
Regency of D. Pedro (1830-1834)
Constitutional Monarchy (1830-1910)
First Republic (1911-1926)
Provisional Government (1910-1911)
Constitutional Governments (1911-1917)
New Republic (1917-1918)
Constitutional Governments (1918-1926)
Second Republic (1926-1974)
Military Dictatorship| # | Minister of Justice and Cults | Beginning of the mandate | End of mandate | Government |
| - | Junta de Salvação Pública composed by: José Mendes Cabeças Júnior Armando Humberto da Gama Ochôa Jaime Pereira Rodrigues Baptista Carlos de Jesus Vilhena | May 29, 1926 | May 30, 1926 | |
| 149 | José Mendes Cabeças Júnior | May 30, 1926 | June 3, 1926 | I |
| 150 | Manuel Rodrigues Júnior | June 3, 1926 | April 11, 1928 | I |
| 150 | Manuel Rodrigues Júnior | June 3, 1926 | April 11, 1928 | II |
| 150 | Manuel Rodrigues Júnior | June 3, 1926 | April 11, 1928 | III |
| 151 | António Maria de Bettencourt Rodrigues | April 11, 1928 | April 18, 1928 | III |