Benfica investigation
Benfica football club is under investigation over suspicions that it violated sanctions against Russia in the 2023 transfer of Argentine player Germán Conti. Conti, who “never established himself on the squad” and was loaned out to other clubs, was sold to Lokamotiv de Moscow for €300,000. Seven months later he was sold back to an Argentine club for €180,000. Suspicions against Benfica centre on the crime of money-laundering.
Millionaire supported
Secretary of State for the Presidency and Immigration, Rui A. Freitas is in the news for receiving a €750-a-month subsidy towards rental costs while he lives in Lisbon, away from home in Guimarães, even though he declared assets of €8.1 million when he entered government last year. Tabloid Correio da Manhã explains this level of rental support is available to all members of government who live outside the capital.
Missing leg
Years after the awful case of a baby born without a face, yet another clinic is in the news for telling expectant parents that the ultrasound of their infant showed no anomalies – when in fact the baby went on to be born without a complete leg, and missing toes on the other leg. The Ceraque clinic, in Pinhal Novo, Palmela, claims that its ultrasounds are conducted by medical specialists.
Watch heist
A man in Lisbon has become the latest victim of “foreign watch thieves”. This time it was a Richard Mille timepiece valued at €240,000. The victim was walking on Avenida de Liberdade late on Sunday afternoon when two ‘foreigners’ on a motorcycle managed to grab his watch from his wrist and make off. Police warn these heists are taking place in areas of the capital with high-end retail outlets.
Ambulance births
Moita fire station has celebrated its 15th ‘ambulance birth’ this year after what should have been a ‘quick trip to the local maternity unit’ was thwarted by the fact that the unit, at Barreiro Hospital, was ‘closed (again), due to lack of obstetricians’. The journey to the nearest alternative was punctuated by the arrival of ‘baby Nariel’. This was the 32nd baby born in an ambulance this year in Portugal.
Police protests
SINAPOL, the national police syndicate, has announced four days of protest later this month to demand higher salaries and better conditions. The protests on October 21-24 inclusive precede discussions in parliament on the State Budget which the syndicate has understood will not be taking their grievances into consideration for pay increases next year. The syndicate warns that without better conditions, police forces will be unable to attract new recruits.
Drop-outs
One in four students at university in Lisbon is considering ‘dropping out’ because of the “elevated costs of accommodation”, an inquiry of 1,131 students by the Lisbon Academic Federation has revealed. The study also showed that 43% of students queried did not have a rental contract (meaning the money being paid out could not be ‘deducted from Income tax’ and was not being declared by the landlords in question).
source material: Correio da Manhã
