Portuguese judges Filipa Vaz da Fonseca and Ricardo Quintas have been appointed to the First Instance Courts of the Macau Special Administrative Region, according to an order published today in the Official Gazette.
Both magistrates were appointed on a contractual basis for a two-year period, following a proposal from the Independent Commission responsible for judicial appointments, according to the executive order signed by the head of the semi-autonomous Chinese region, Sam Hou Fai, on July 23, which takes effect starting September 1.
Portugal and Macau maintain a judicial cooperation agreement that ensures the continued presence of Portuguese magistrates, both judges and prosecutors, in the territory.
The only judge currently working in Macau who came from Portugal is Jerónimo Alberto Gonçalves Santos, a judge at the Court of Second Instance, following judge Rui Ribeiro’s decision to end his special assignment early, in October 2025, rather than in May 2026 as originally scheduled.
Read more: Portugal open to sending new judges to Macau, says top judge
In October 2025, the president of Portugal’s Supreme Court of Justice said Portugal remains available to send additional judges should Macau express interest in doing so. The court’s president, João Cura Mariano, who also heads the Superior Council of the Judiciary by virtue of his position, told reporters during a visit to Macau that he wanted to determine whether the territory has interest in continuing to rely on Portuguese magistrates.
He said Portugal would try to assess what useful contribution its judges could still offer and whether they remain needed, adding that new judges would be sent if that need is confirmed.
At the same time, Cura Mariano acknowledged that Portugal’s judicial system is facing some difficulty supplying judges, due to a shortage of qualified and experienced personnel. He recalled that Portugal had recently withdrawn a judge who had been in Macau for many years and whom Portugal itself still needed.
In 2024, the Superior Council of the Judiciary declined to extend the term of Portuguese judge Carlos Carvalho, who had served at Macau’s Court of First Instance for 16 years and had been invited by the territory’s Independent Commission for Judicial Appointments to remain for two more years. The council did not authorize an extension of his special leave and instead promoted him to appellate judge, assigning him to the Court of Appeal in Portugal.
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Even so, Cura Mariano affirmed his willingness to help despite the current difficulties Portugal faces in recruiting judges, pointing to East Timor as an example, where numerous Portuguese judges continue to support the local judicial system because their presence remains highly needed there.
