Five individuals have been made defendants, including three public officials, as well as two companies. A total of 26 searches were carried out in Funchal and Lisbon as part of Operation “Terra Queimada.”
Searches in Madeira over suspected fraud with European funds
Wednesday, 25 February 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
The Judicial Police (Polícia Judiciária) is Portugal’s national criminal investigation force that handles serious crimes such as homicide, organised crime, corruption and major fraud. It conducts criminal inquiries alongside prosecutors, so if you are involved in or affected by a serious criminal case in Portugal the PJ leads investigative work and consular assistance may be helpful.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) is an EU-level body set up to investigate and prosecute crimes that affect the EU budget, such as subsidy fraud, corruption and money laundering; it became operational on 1 June 2021. Its involvement in a case means investigations can be coordinated across participating EU countries, which matters when judicial police searches target suspected misuse of EU funds.
AI Summary AvailableSearches in Madeira probe €3.6m EU‑fund fraudRead the synthesized summary with context and explainers
View full article on ObservadorRSS source
Other news coverage of this topic
- Operation "Scorched Earth": Seven defendants under investigation for €3.6 million fraud with European funds in Madeira4:51pm, 25 Feb 2026 • CNN Portugal
- Seven defendants in investigation of fraud in obtaining funds in Madeira with damages exceeding 3.6 million euros3:44pm, 25 Feb 2026 • Dinheiro Vivo
- Operation "Burnt Earth": Searches for Suspects of Fraud in Fund Acquisition in Madeira3:09pm, 25 Feb 2026 • ECO
