Following the exposé highlighting the €30 million-plus owed to Portuguese citizens by the government news has come of a “reinforcement” to the fund that ostensibly had only €5 million available this year.
According to national tabloid Correio da Manhã, “an extraordinary transfer of €30 million will allow the superior council of fiscal and administrative courts (CSTAF) to start paying citizens and businesses that have won judicial processes against the State”.
The CSTAF fund will also guarantee salaries ordered by the courts when “public entities are in non-compliance”.
It is a huge change in the status quo that has seen “hundreds of people and businesses waiting to be paid” for years (see State ordered to pay €30 million to citizens and businesses – but doesn’t have the money).
CM explains that the fund has been incapable of paying debts imposed in all legality since 2011 – when the State’s liability to people and businesses through the courts stood at €16 million, and when all that was channelled into the fund was €1000.
Since then, amounts have increased. Over €7,300 was available in 2012. “Close to €17,000 was transferred in 2013” and this year, €5,000 was given, now beefed up by the “extraordinary transfer”.
But debts and interest due on them are now at an incredible €35.1 million, and there are another 60 cases pending through the courts, writes CM.
Many of the cases now seeing a light at the end of the tunnel have involved agonising waits for money to which complainants were legally entitled.
According to the fund, its appeals to the government – up until now – had been in vain.
