Gouveia e Melo accused Marques Mendes of being involved in the golden visa case, but that was not quite right — it was his former partners. Mendes also accused the retired admiral of having advocated the return of compulsory military service, which was likewise not entirely correct.
Marques Mendes did not disclose his law firm's clients, and Gouveia e Melo said he would dissolve Passos for failure to fulfil promises
Tuesday, 23 December 2025RSS
Context & Explainers
The Golden Visa (Portuguese: Autorização de Residência para Investimento) is Portugal's residence-by-investment program, created in 2012, that grants non-EU nationals a residency permit after qualifying investments such as certain real-estate purchases, capital transfers or job-creating projects. It usually provides Schengen travel rights and a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship after five years, though eligible investment types and minimum amounts have changed in recent years.
