Portugullible?

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Portugullible?

I received a speeding notification from Portugal, which is 5 months old. It was sent 15 March 2010 and received 23 March 2010 and relates to a speeding offence on 24 October 2009. The fine is 120 Euros but I have no way of knowing if it is legal. There is no telephone number address e-mail or website on any of the 3 documents sent. These were the notification a covering letter and the terms and conditions. Everything is in Portuguese so I do not understand what is says or how to pay it. The post office were required to obtain a signature and didn't and the following day they put the card that needed to be signed through my letterbox. I want to do the right thing but simply don't know how.

Asked on 12 June 2010 by SC, via email

Answered by Honest John

This FAQ covers the much more common speeding fines in Italy: www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/italian-traffic-fines However: Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights guarantees everyone
who has been charged with a criminal offence the following minimum rights: to be informed promptly in a language he/she understands about the accusation. It could be argued that a notice in Italian, Spanish or French relating to something that is said to have happened 18 months previously does not meet either requirement. The DVLA should not release driver information to law enforcement agencies in other EC stated if they have not conformed to the requirements of Article 6. You could even argue that the DVLA has acted illegally and negligently and is in Breach of the Data Protection Act.

Tags: speeding driving driving abroad fines

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