Legislator Case Law & Legislation
DE FR IT EN
Analyze in Legislator
464/93 AI generated

Portuguese Constitutional Court declares administrative penalty laws unconstitutional for violating the principle of favor legis.

Case Number 464/93
Court / Authority
Jurisdiction Portugal (PT)
Outcome Dismissed
Open official source Machine-readable Markdown (.md)

Legislator summary

AI generated

The Constitutional Court declared specific administrative penalty laws unconstitutional for violating Article 29(4) of the Constitution. The Ministry of Public Prosecution challenged the interpretation of these laws which prevented the application of more favorable new regulations to offenses previously classified as minor infractions. The court ruled that such interpretations contravened the constitutional principle of favor legis, mandating that newer, more lenient laws must apply retroactively to prior offenses.

Legislator headnote

AI generated

Art. 29(4) of the Constitution; Art. 2 and 5 of D.L. 20-A/90: The principle of favor legis requires that when a new law is more favorable to the accused, it must apply retroactively, invalidating any administrative interpretation that restricts this application to older, less favorable classifications.

Keywords

AI generated
favor legis principle retroactive application administrative penalties constitutional violation principle of lenity Constitutional Court administrative law

Cited Legislation

AI generated
Art. 29(4) of the Constitution
Art. 2 and 5 of D.L. 20-A/90
artigo 29º da Constituição
AI generated
171/93
Portuguese Constitutional Court declares administrative penalty laws unconstitutional for blocking more favorable new laws.
218/93
Portuguese Constitutional Court declares administrative penalty laws unconstitutional for blocking more favorable new laws.
8/94
Portuguese Constitutional Court declares administrative penalty laws unconstitutional for blocking more favorable new laws.
449/93
Constitutional Court declares administrative penalty laws unconstitutional for blocking more favorable new laws.
672/93
Portuguese Constitutional Court declares administrative penalty laws unconstitutional for blocking more favorable new laws.

Need to analyze how this precedent applies to your matter?

Cross-reference this judgment against statutes, commentaries, and subsequent citing case law inside Legislator AI.

Open in Legislator →

Full text

Acórdão 828/93

ACÓRDÃO Nº 828/93

Processo nº 464/93

1ª Secção

Relator: Conselheiro Tavares da Costa

Acordam no Tribunal Constitucional:

Nos presentes autos de recurso, vindos do Supremo Tribunal Administrativo, em que é recorrente o Ministério Público e recorrida B., pelos fundamentos do acórdão nº 227/92, publicado no Diário da República, II Série, de 12 de Setembro de 1992, que aqui se dão por reproduzidos, decide-se:

a) Julgar inconstitucionais, por violação do nº 4 do artigo 29º da Constituição, as normas constantes dos artigos 2º e 5º, nº 2 do Decreto-Lei nº 20-A/90, de 15 de Janeiro, enquanto interpretadas no sentido de impedir a aplicação da nova lei, ainda que mais favorável, às infracções que o Regime Jurídico, aprovado por este diploma, desgraduou em contra-ordenações;

b) Confirmar a decisão recorrida relativamente ao julgamento da questão de inconstitucionalidade.

Lisboa, 16 de Dezembro de 1993

Alberto Tavares da Costa

Armindo Ribeiro Mendes

Vítor Nunes de Almeida

Antero Alves Monteiro Diniz

António Vitorino

Assunção Esteves

José Manuel Cardoso da Costa