José Sena Foulão / Lusa
The Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo
Court ruling that annulled the suspensions of 13 NRP Mondego sailors attributes “illegal acts” to Admiral Gouveia e Melo as Chief of the Navy General Staff (CEMA).
In the decision that almost all sailors of the Ship of the Portuguese Republic of Mondego (NRP Mondego), the Central Administrative Court of the South (TCAS) accuses Gouveia e Melo of “illegal acts”notably for having maintained the suspensions after the presentation of appeals against them.
The sailors were suspended for between 10 and 90 days for insubordination by disobedience after in March 2023, they went on a mission to monitor a Russian ship, claiming .
The Navy always tried to remove the Admiral from the disciplinary decision to suspend the sailors.
But the sailors’ lawyer, Paulo Graça, understands that the CEMA had direct responsibility in the process, notably for having maintained the punishments after the appeals filed against the suspension.
Paulo Graça tells the Observer that the Admiral “assumed paternity of the legal act” for having confirmed the suspension “in a long order”.
The TCAS judges seem to agree with the lawyer, understanding that validated “illegal acts” as CEMA in applying the punishment, as highlighted by the Observer who had access to the ruling.
The Court found “two nullities” .
Rodrigues Teixeira “was part of the chain of command involved in the events” and could “be a witness” in the process, but never be responsible for the instruction, the same publication also points out.
But as the instruction assumed, all acts carried out within the scope of the disciplinary process are invalid.
Likewise, CEMA’s actions are illegitimate because they validated “illegal acts”, the ruling also points out.
The Navy has already announced that it will appeal the annulment of the punishments.
