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The director of the Immigration and Borders Service, Cristina Gatões, resigned, informing the Ministry of the Interior in a statement, in which she clarifies that the resignation occurs after her request and in the context of a restructuring process. Cristina Gatões “ceases her duties at her request and with immediate effect,” it reads.
The resignation comes a day after the PSD demanded that the Minister of Internal Administration, Eduardo Cabrita, immediately make “structural changes” in the SEF, warning that, if he did not do so, he should abandon his functions in the Government. The warning had been made as a result of the reaction of the SEF summit to the case of the death of a Ukrainian citizen at Lisbon airport, for which three inspectors of this security service have already been charged.
PSD warns Eduardo Cabrita that either change the course of the SEF or should leave the Government
“The restructuring process of the SEF, which is now beginning, will be coordinated by the Deputy National Directors José Luís do Rosário Barão – who assumes the role of Deputy Director – and Fernando Parreiral da Silva,” the statement also read. , which begins by framing the dismissal in a ya “Redefining the exercise of police functions related to border management and the fight against human trafficking networks”.
“The Program of the XXII Government expressly foresees that a very clear organic separation will be established between the police functions and the administrative functions of authorization and documentation of immigrants. In this context, the Ministry of Internal Administration will immediately initiate joint work between Security Forces and Services to redefine the exercise of police functions related to border management and the fight against human trafficking networks, ”it reads in the notice.
The Interior Ministry also adds that the plan also involves strengthening “intervention in the fields of asylum and migration management” and “reconfiguring the way public services deal with the phenomenon of immigration, adopting a more humanistic and less bureaucratic approach “. It is within the scope of this redefinition of powers that the Government frames the dismissal of the former director of the SEF, underlining that this redefinition must take place during the first half of 2021.
The resignation, however, comes nine months after the episode that occurred at the SEF facilities at Lisbon airport that led to the death of the Ukrainian citizen Ihor Homenyuk. Since then, three SEF inspectors have been charged with murder. Recently, Cristina Gatões spoke about the case for the first time and described it as “obvious torture”.
The director of the SEF admits that the Ukrainian citizen was a victim of “torture” and guarantees that she was not informed of what happened
At that time, in an interview with RTP, the then national director of the Foreigners and Borders Service said that she had “no great doubts” that the murder of the Ukrainian citizen at the Lisbon airport in March was “a situation of obvious torture. ”. Cristina Gatões admitted that she was unaware that 12 people were involved in the crime and its alleged cover-up. “The description that is made in the police reports is appalling, appalling, without reservation. That will never happen again, ”he said at the time.
This Monday a measure was known that generated controversy: from now on, foreign citizens staying in the facilities of the Foreigners and Borders Service at Lisbon airport will have panic buttons at their disposal. The devices will be installed in the 18 new individual rooms and will be connected to the entrance of the Temporary Installation Center, where SEF inspectors and security personnel must always be.
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