Latest news and stories about legal proceedings in Portugal for expats and residents.
The father of the two young children abandoned in Alcácer do Sal has broken his silence, expressing his pain and calling for moderation in public reactions to the case. The mother and her partner remain in custody in Portugal while awaiting trial, though legal experts suggest they may eventually face further proceedings in France for crimes committed there.
A judge has suspended the Secretary-General of the Lisbon City Council (Câmara Municipal de Lisboa), Alberto Laplaine Guimarães, as part of “Operation Lumen” (Operação Lúmen). The investigation targets alleged corruption and economic crimes related to municipal contracts for Christmas lighting across several councils. The court also imposed a 100,000 euro bail on a businessman involved and prohibited the defendants from contacting municipal staff. Residents in Lisbon and Alandroal should note the ongoing investigation into local government spending.
Alberto Laplaine Guimarães was the Secretary-General of the Lisbon City Council (Câmara Municipal de Lisboa), the city's highest-ranking administrative official. He was arrested in 2023 following investigations into alleged corruption surrounding public procurement contracts, specifically those for the city's Christmas lighting. Lisbon residents should note that this case has led to new demands for transparency in how the municipality awards large service contracts.
Former Economy Minister Manuel Pinho has appealed to the Supreme Court of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de Justiça) against his 10-year prison sentence for corruption, money laundering, and tax fraud. Pinho was convicted in 2024 for allegedly receiving illegal payments from former banker Ricardo Salgado during his time in government. The appeal cites procedural flaws and statute of limitations issues, with the defense requesting either a full acquittal or a reduced sentence of seven and a half years. Residents following the long-running EDP case should note that the former minister remains under house arrest while the high court reviews the case.
Ricardo Salgado is the former chairman and CEO of Banco Espírito Santo (BES), the bank that collapsed in 2014 and triggered one of Portugal’s largest financial scandals. He has faced multiple criminal charges including fraud and money laundering, and recent appeal-court rulings ordering a new trial—despite reports about his Alzheimer’s—are important for anyone following accountability in Portugal’s banking sector.
Manuel Pinho is a former Portuguese Minister of Economy who served from 2005 to 2009 under the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista) government. In June 2024, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for passive corruption, money laundering, and tax fraud related to undeclared payments from the Espírito Santo Group (Grupo Espírito Santo). His case is one of several high-profile legal proceedings involving former government officials and the collapse of the Banco Espírito Santo banking empire.
The Portuguese Navy has reopened disciplinary proceedings against crew members who refused to board the NRP Mondego in 2023, following a Supreme Administrative Court ruling that annulled previous sanctions due to procedural errors.
Judge Susana Seca has ruled that lawyer Marco António Amarote must continue representing José Sócrates until a successor is appointed, preventing further delays in the Operation Marquês corruption trial.
The legal team representing officer Bruno Pinto is evaluating the possibility of filing an appeal.
He travelled with the corpse of the German skipper.
Two dolmens and a Roman villa were destroyed for the planting of walnut trees in Évora. The case will be referred to the Public Prosecutor's Office and the local authority has already opened an internal inquiry.
The family of one of the victims of the Glória Funicular accident is demanding one million euros from Carris. In the same case, Zelensky is called to testify because he was one of the world leaders to publicly offer condolences to the families, even while leading a country at war. For the plaintiffs, statements like this demonstrate the exceptional nature of this accident. This is the subject of a conversation with Paulo Saragoça da Matta, a lawyer and CNN Portugal commentator. 'A Portuguese court cannot force a foreign head of state to testify,' he responds, explaining the concept of a witness.
The individuals arrested during yesterday's demonstration are scheduled to appear before a judge today.
Two suspects were engaged in the repeated practice of several crimes related to aiding illegal immigration. A businessman is subject to periodic reporting and the payment of bail.
The man is charged with qualified fraud and computer forgery.
The questioning of the two French citizens charged with crimes will resume on Saturday.
The mother and stepfather will be brought before the criminal investigating judge in Setúbal today, but the legal proceedings will not end there.
The man will undergo an assessment to determine if he is fit to have custody of his children.
Second part of the Investigação CM from May 21, 2025, on CMTV.
“There is no worsening of the precautionary measures. What the Court of Appeal is essentially confirming is what the Supreme Court had already stated. It remained with the minimum measures,” says Miguel Albuquerque.
Joaquim Cardoso is accused of three crimes of abuse of power. The Public Prosecutor's Office has requested that the defendant be ordered to surrender a fire department tanker truck and pay 622 euros to the State.
The inquiry remains in the instruction phase at the IGAI and the judicial process is under judicial secrecy. The fan's lawyer says the police intervention caused more than 70 injuries. The PSP National Directorate has no comment.
Lawyer Miguel Reis participated in the sale of the ship, stating that the choice of the Maltese flag was not linked to tax reasons. Mário Ferreira is accused of qualified tax fraud.
The request was sent to the Brazilian commissioner who investigated the 2009 murder of Rosalina Ribeiro. The case against Duarte Lima arrived in Portugal in October 2020, but the trial has not yet begun.
The defendants were accused of 22 crimes related to illegal immigration, but the court stated that contradictions undermined the prosecution: “The court's conviction is one thing, what is proven is another.”
Even while considering it unlikely that it will have to pay, TAP recognised Christine Ourmières-Widener's lawsuit as a civil contingency in its 2025 accounts. The legal proceedings were initiated in 2023.
Rui Pinto was facing charges for over 200 crimes, including qualified illegitimate access, aggravated violation of correspondence, and computer damage crimes.
Ilderlane will be examined by psychiatrists. She claims she may suffer from delusional syndrome. The goal is to argue for legal insanity.
Sp. Braga and its president, António Salvador, were acquitted this Wednesday, April 22, by the Porto Court of Appeal in the Operation Ether case, overturning their previous conviction in the first instance. The club expressed satisfaction with the ruling, which restores the reputations of those involved and reaffirms their commitment to transparency. The decision follows an appeal against a September 2024 sentence that had imposed fines and a suspended prison term on Salvador for document forgery. Additionally, the Court of Appeal reduced the prison sentence of former Porto and Northern Portugal Tourism president Melchior Moreira from seven to four and a half years for abuse of power.
Eduardo Vítor Rodrigues is on trial for allegedly using public funds to finance trips to Champions League matches. “I did not have the City Council pay for leisure trips,” he said.
Orlando Alves's defence team requested the termination of the coercive measures from the court this Friday.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has filed charges of abuse of power against two directors of the agricultural association of Odivelas, in Ferreira do Alentejo, regarding a scheme involving false invoices between 2016 and 2020.
The decision of the Family and Juvenile Court will be announced on April 17th.
Ygor Daniel Zago, known as 'Hulk' and suspected of being a leader of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), had his request for international protection rejected by the Lisbon Court of Appeal. The court maintained the extradition order, ruling that his claims of persecution were unfounded. Zago, who was living in a private condominium in Cascais, is wanted in Brazil for his role in a major money laundering scheme involving fuel fraud and links to the Balkan mafia.
The Archdiocese stresses that this archiving “closes the case in the canonical order and constitutes the final conclusion of the procedure” against the priest, also ending the disciplinary measures adopted in July 2022.
