EMEL. Ombudsman’s Office welcomes reversal of fine in case of faulty parking meter

The Ombudsman’s Office welcomes the decision by EMEL – Empresa Municipal de Mobilidade e Estacionamento de Lisboa, E.M.S.A., to reverse the imposition of a fine for non-payment of a parking fee after it was proven that the nearest parking meter was out of order.

This review followed the intervention of the Ombudsman’s Office, which found that the metadata of the photograph taken by the complaining citizen showed unequivocally that it had been taken on the day and at the time complained of at the allegedly faulty parking meter.

The citizen had initially lodged a complaint with EMEL, which had replied that it stood by the decision to impose a fine because no fault had been signalled by its maintenance services, and had then requested the intervention of the Ombudsman’s Office.