Macao Yearbook 2011

Macao Yearbook 2011
2.13. Granting and withdrawing restorative justice for persons in detention or imprisoned;
2.14. Inspecting prisons at least once every month to ensure that prison conditions are in
accordance with the law; and
2.15. Dealing with requests from prisoners during such inspections.
Court for Minor Civil Cases
The Court for Minor Civil Cases, commonly known as the Small Claims Tribunal, began operation
on 4 January 2005. It deals specifically with litigation concerning money debts and consumer
rights not exceeding 50,000 patacas in cash value, including consumer credit, management fees,
rentals, use of letters of credit, and instalment payments. Instead of hiring a lawyer and paying
fees in advance, citizens may submit their claims to the Lower Court by filing a relevant form in
sextuplicate, thereby enhancing the efficiency of litigation.
As defined by law, the Court for Minor Civil Cases has the power to hear litigation conducted
in accordance with the special proceedings for minor cases, which include all the incidents and
questions raised by such litigation, as long as it does not prejudice other jurisdictions attributed
to it by law.
The Administrative Court
The Administrative Court has an establishment of two judges, who also oversee the office of the
Administrative Court and assume the posts defined by Items 2 to 5 of Clause 4 of Article 33 of the
Judicial Organisation Framework Law. Each post is occupied for a three-year term and is assumed
on a rotation basis according to descending seniority.
Modus Operandi of the Administrative Court
The Administrative Court adjudicates in cases as a Collegial Panel or as a Single-judge Bench.
Unless otherwise specified by law, cases are heard by a Single-judge Bench.
The Collegial Panel comprises a chairperson appointed by the Judicial Council to preside over
a trial, a judge in charge of the dossier, and one other judge appointed by the Judicial Council.
Powers of the Administrative Court
The powers of the Administrative Court are as follows:
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1. Hearing disputes concerning public administration, taxation or customs.
2. Hearing the following types of administrative disputes, as long as this does not prejudice
the jurisdiction of the Court of Second Instance:
2.1 Legal disputes stemming from administrative actions or administration-related actions
committed by the following entities:
– Bureau directors or other administrative officials with a rank not higher than that
of bureau director;