In Cascais, basic legal rules are being ignored

On 13 August 2026, Expresso reported on something that several people have been bringing to the attention of SOS Quinta dos Ingleses: despite the stop-work order imposed on the Hilton construction site a month ago, work continued covertly until at least 11 August.

Last week, SOS Quinta dos Ingleses filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding this blatant violation of the law (which constitutes the criminal offence of disobedience). Prior to this, SOS Quinta dos Ingleses had filed a report with the PSP (Public Security Police), which referred the matter to the Municipal Police. The Municipal Police responded by saying that a formal request should be submitted to the municipal services, which would then be assessed before Cascais Municipality decided what action it considered appropriate — a procedure that is entirely unlawful and makes no sense.

In Cascais, the supposed “European Capital of Democracy 2026”, basic legal rules continue to be ignored: a court order must be complied with immediately by everyone to whom it applies; a stop-work order takes immediate effect; breaching a stop-work order constitutes the criminal offence of disobedience; and a suspected crime may be reported to any authority, which has an obligation to act immediately (without referring the matter to third parties or requiring formal applications to be submitted to other authorities).

It would be good if all individuals and entities understood this. Starting with Cascais Municipality, Encosta da Parede and the Municipal Police.