instrução
Published 5 November 2026, 22:39
instrução (judicial review of the charges)
An optional stage of a criminal case between the indictment and the trial. It is requested by a defendant who disputes the charges, or sometimes by the victim if the case has instead been dropped. A dedicated judge (juiz de instrução) reviews the charges and decides whether there are grounds to send the case to trial. The deadline for the request is short and runs from notification of the indictment; if no one applies, the case goes straight to trial.
Where you come across it. Once the public prosecutor has brought charges; news reports put it exactly this way: "the deadline to request instrução is running".
The word is misleading: it does not mean "instructions", nor is it a mere formality; it is specifically a review of the charges by a judge. Nor is it the trial itself: the case is not yet being heard on its merits.
Official website: ministeriopublico.pt