There may be no link with the news yesterday that environment minister Duarte Cordeiro is not standing as a Socialist MP in the elections coming in March, and the news today that PJ police have led new searches into Operation Tutti Frutti – a probe in which Mr Cordeiro’s name has surfaced. But the outgoing minister did refer to “a situation related with Lisbon City Council”, which this new story certainly is: the searches today took place in the parish councils of Santo António and São Domingos de Benfica, both held by PSD/CDS-PP. Operation Tutti-Frutti involves alleged favoritism towards PS/ PSD militants, through public contracts. At issue are suspicions of passive corruption, influence peddling, economic participation in business and prohibited financing.
PJ lead searches in two Lisbon parish councils
