Frederico Morais highlighted that the report prepared by the Audit and Inspection Service (SAI) of the Directorate-General for Reinsertion and Prison Services (DGRSP) makes it clear with "a lot of evidence" that there was no participation or complicity of any kind by the guards in the escape of the five inmates from Vale de Judeus.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Justice, the initiation of disciplinary proceedings was recommended by the report prepared by the Audit and Inspection Service (SAI) of the Directorate-General for Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP), which was delivered to the Ministry led by Rita Alarcão Júdice on October 17.

According to Frederico Morais, the initiation of disciplinary proceedings is "a very normal situation and the fact that they include the attribution of responsibilities to the then (replacing) director of the prison and the head of the guard shows that the SNCGP was right in saying that the number of guards on duty on the day of the escape was insufficient".

"The number of guards was insufficient and the report confirms this", maintained the president of the SNCGP, adding that the union will now "await the disciplinary part" regarding the seven guards also targeted.

The statement from the Ministry of Justice also highlighted the opening of two separate inquiries: one regarding the prison commissioner, for "the failure to implement a security measure and a situation of prolonged absenteeism"; and another to the Directorate of Security Services "to assess its functioning and its ability to respond to situations of this nature".

The Ministry of Justice also sent a certificate to the competent authorities to determine disciplinary responsibilities in relation to GNR officers regarding "the conditions in which images of events at the Vale de Judeus prison were released to the media without authorisation”.


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