Mega-operation hones in on suspicions of corruption, abuse of power, computer fraud
Portugal’s criminal police, the PJ, are carrying out a mega-operation of searches today at the Bank of Portugal, EPAL (Portuguese water authority), IRN (registries institute), the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Justice and various other public entities.
According to reports, offences of active and passive corruption, economic participation in business, abuse of power, computer fraud, fraud in obtaining a subsidy, tax fraud and money laundering are all on the docket.
Around 250 inspectors, two investigating judges, three public prosecutors and 50 scientific police specialists are involved in the 75 searches, which are taking place in Greater Lisbon, Porto and Braga, the PJ have confirmed in a statement.
Operation Pactum (the Latin for pact/ agreement) “is taking place in homes, accountancy offices, company headquarters, public institutes and other state services.
“These searches are aimed at gathering information related to employees of these services”, says the PJ statement, stressing that political decision-makers are not being targeted.
According to the statement, “at issue are behaviours related to the acquisition of services in the area of Information Technology, by various public entities and by a private entity, between the years 2017 and 2025.
“At the centre of the investigation is a group of individuals who, in concerted efforts and in a premeditated manner, vitiated (rigged) dozens of public and private procurement procedures, with a total overall value of no less than €17,000,000.00 (seventeen million euros).
“The facts under investigation are likely, in abstract terms, to amount to the offences of economic participation in business, illegitimate access with breach of confidentiality, abuse of power, active and passive corruption, falsification of documents, computer fraud, fraud in obtaining a subsidy, qualified tax fraud, influence peddling, criminal association and the crime of money laundering”.
Minister of Justice Rita Júdice has already reacted, in a statement sent to SIC Notícias, expressing “surprise” and asking the various organisations involved to “report factually on the inspection operations” and ensure that PJ inspectors get all the support they require.
The Bank of Portugal has since published a short note, to say it is fully collaborating.
Further details to come in due course. ND
