Officers from Portugal’s Polícia Judiciária (PJ) criminal police carried out searches this Thursday at the morgue of Lisbon’s Santa Maria Hospital as part of a corruption investigation.
According to the PJ, the operation was launched following “strong suspicions of the crime of receiving or offering an undue advantage.”
The investigation, known as Operation “Rigor Mortis”, was triggered after a complaint alleging that morgue employees were receiving payments from funeral agencies in exchange for preparing bodies more quickly, allowing them to be released sooner.
As part of the operation, the PJ’s National Anti-Corruption Unit also carried out 10 searches at private homes linked to the case.
Police said that during the searches – which were conducted in the presence of a judge and a public prosecutor – investigators seized evidence considered “relevant to the inquiry”.
The investigation is being led by the DIAP de Lisboa.
Quoted by Diário de Notícias, Santa Maria Hospital said it does not comment on ongoing judicial investigations, but stressed it is fully available to cooperate with the authorities.
