A law firm will proceed in early September with an action in the administrative courts against EMEL, the municipal parking company of Lisbon. The action follows complaints from Lisbon residents who feel targeted by abuses of authority by the company, with the connivance of the Lisbon City Council.
EMEL is accused of inspecting vehicles outside the zones and hours that are under its management, practicing an action that exceeds the legal limits of its competence. The municipal company is also accused of promoting the coercive collection of cases it considers time-barred, meaning demanding payment of fines in situations where the legal deadline for their collection should have already elapsed.
Lawyer Carlos Barroso is the central figure in explaining this case, having analyzed the legality of EMEL's practices. If the legal action is successful, the decision could open the way for other citizens to request the return of fines they have already paid to the municipal company.
Lisbon residents feel particularly harmed by what they consider to be abusive inspection, believing that the Lisbon City Council does not exercise due control over the company that manages parking in the city. The legal action represents an attempt to stop these practices and hold EMEL accountable for its actions.
