Four municipalities in the Region were targeted, in addition to Greater Lisbon, Braga, Porto, Paredes, Aguiar da Beira and Azores.
At issue are crimes of active and passive corruption, economic participation in business, malfeasance, receiving or offering an undue advantage, abuse of powers and influence peddling.
The Judiciary Police (PJ), within the scope of three investigations led by the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DCIAP), carried out a police operation, aiming to carry out around 130 home and non-home searches in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (Funchal, Câmara de Lobos, Machico and Ribeira Brava), in Greater Lisbon (Oeiras, Linda-a-Velha, Porto Salvo, Bucelas and Lisbon) and also in Braga, Porto, Paredes, Aguiar da Beira and Ponta Delgada , the Image and Communication Office of the Judiciary Police (PJ) has just made progress.
In the press release, the PJ also informs that it arrested, outside of the act, 3 suspects of the crimes under investigation. “The arrests in question were carried out at 2:15 pm today”, reveals the Judiciary.
The PJ explains that the steps taken were aimed at “collecting additional evidence, in order to consolidate the investigations into crimes of active and passive corruption, economic participation in business, malfeasance, undue receipt or offer of an advantage, abuse of powers and trafficking in influence”.
In the referenced investigations, adds the PJ, “facts are investigated that are likely to frame possible illicit practices, linked to the award of public contracts for the acquisition of goods and services, in exchange for financing private activity; suspicions of sponsorship of private activity with the aim of counterpart support and intervention in the award of competitive procedures to specific commercial companies; the award of public contracts for civil construction works, to the illegitimate benefit of specific commercial companies and to the detriment of other competitors, with serious distortion of public procurement rules , in exchange for financing political activities and personal expenses”.
2 Criminal Investigation Judges, 6 Magistrates from the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the DCIAP and 6 members of the Technical Advisory Center (NAT) of the Attorney General’s Office, as well as 270 criminal investigators and experts from the Judiciary Police, participated in the operation, the statement adds.
The PJ does not reveal the identity of the detainees, only stating that they will be presented to the competent Judicial Authority, at the Central Criminal Investigation Court, with a view to judicial interrogation and application of coercive measures.
The Judiciary Police also highlights the collaboration of the Portuguese Air Force, whose support was “crucial to the assembly of the human and logistical device”.