Latest news and stories about municipal government in government in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
The Chega party has tabled a motion of no confidence against Oeiras Mayor Isaltino Morais following his indictment for the alleged misuse of 150,000 euros in public funds for personal expenses.
Oeiras Mayor Isaltino Morais and 22 municipal officials face charges of embezzlement and abuse of power for allegedly misusing 150,000 euros of public funds on over 1,400 meals between 2017 and 2025.
The Socialist Party in Lisbon has accused Mayor Carlos Moedas of illegally retaining Alberto Laplaine Guimarães as municipal secretary-general, arguing that his tenure has exceeded the legal ten-year limit and that a new public tender was required.
The majority voted against the suspension of the mayor, who is accused alongside 22 other officials of embezzlement and abuse of power regarding 150,000 euros in meal expenses.
The Oeiras Municipal Assembly rejected a motion of censure on Tuesday, proposed by Chega, which called for the suspension of Mayor Isaltino Morais's mandate following a Public Prosecutor's indictment regarding meal expenses. The motion was defeated by a majority, with votes against from the Isaltino Inovar Oeiras 25 (INOV) movement, PS, Evoluir Oeiras (Livre/BE/Volt), CDU (PCP/PEV), and PAN, while IL abstained and Chega voted in favour. The indictment involves the mayor and 22 others accused of embezzlement and abuse of power related to over 150,000 euros in meal expenses. During the debate, political parties criticised the motion for conflating accusation with conviction and violating the presumption of innocence, though they emphasised the need for political scrutiny. Mayor Morais defended himself, stating the expenses cover seven years and thousands of meals, rejecting claims of misuse of public funds.
Three deputies from the party requested the immediate “suspension of duties or resignation” of the mayor of Oeiras and 22 other people accused of misuse of public funds.
Chega in Oeiras presents a motion of no confidence against Isaltino Morais. Francisco O'Neill speaks of an ethical issue that “does not dignify the municipality” and says he is expectant regarding the vote of the remaining opposition.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has charged the Mayor of Oeiras, Isaltino Morais, and 22 other defendants, including councillors and staff, with embezzlement and abuse of power. The charges relate to the misuse of 150,000 euros of municipal funds for personal meals between 2017 and 2024. The prosecution is seeking the removal of the officials from office and the repayment of the funds. The Oeiras City Council has denied the allegations, stating that all expenses were legitimate work-related costs incurred in accordance with standard municipal practices.
Alberto Laplaine Guimarães was one of those detained by the Judiciary Police last Tuesday as part of operation 'Lúmen'.
According to the defence, the Public Prosecutor's Office does not accuse their client or the president of the UACS, another defendant in the case, of improperly receiving money from contracts for themselves.
Margarida Bentes Penedo, a municipal deputy for Chega, argued that a right-wing government should not fund a “culture that operates against the government itself.” The vice-president of the Lisbon City Council called for “de-dramatisation” regarding the TBA and the Aljube Museum. On the left, the absence of Carlos Moedas was lamented.
In addition to the “immediate suspension” of his duties at the Lisbon municipality, the Porto Criminal Investigation Court also decreed as coercive measures the prohibition of entering the City Council, contacting any municipal employee, or communicating with the other defendants in the case.
The Secretary-General of Lisbon City Council, Alberto Laplaine Guimarães, one of four people detained in Operation Lúmen, which is investigating alleged economic crimes in contracts for the installation of Christmas lights, has been suspended from his duties, the investigating judge decided this Tuesday. In addition to the immediate suspension from the public functions he held at the municipality...
Alberto Laplaine Guimarães, Secretary-General of the Lisbon City Council, has been suspended from his duties following his arrest in Operation Lúmen, which investigates alleged economic crimes involving Christmas lighting contracts. A criminal investigation judge has imposed several coercive measures on him and three other defendants, including prohibitions on entering municipal premises and contacting employees or co-defendants. The investigation, led by the Porto Criminal Investigation Court, focuses on allegations of corruption, abuse of power, and bid-rigging in public procurement processes across ten municipalities, with contracts totaling approximately eight million euros.
The coercive measures applied to the four defendants have been announced. Operation Lumen is investigating crimes related to the installation of Christmas lights in various municipalities across the country.
Alberto Laplaine Guimarães, Secretary-General of Lisbon City Council, has had his duties suspended and is prohibited from visiting the municipal offices, as well as from contacting the other defendants.
The four defendants arrested in Operation Lumen, which investigates alleged economic crimes in Christmas lighting installation contracts, were released this Sunday. They will learn of their coercive measures on Tuesday, a judicial source indicated. The source explained to the Lusa agency that the defendants were released because the Public Prosecutor's Office proposed non-custodial measures. In the case of the Lisbon City Council Secretary-General, Alberto Laplaine Guimarães, the Public Prosecutor's Office requested his suspension from duties and a prohibition on visiting council premises or contacting municipal staff and other defendants. The Judiciary Police had arrested four people on Tuesday on suspicion of active and passive corruption, economic participation in business, abuse of power, and criminal association. Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas has opened an inquiry into the Lisbon City Council's General Secretariat.
The four defendants in Operation Lumen, which investigates corruption in Christmas lighting contracts, have been released.
Lisbon City Council has opened an inquiry into the municipality's General Secretariat to investigate potential irregularities in the protocol with the Union of Trade and Services Associations (UACS) regarding Christmas lighting, following searches by the Judiciary Police (PJ). In an order dated Wednesday signed by the Mayor, Carlos Moedas (PSD), which...
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas has launched an inquiry into the municipality's General Secretariat to investigate the procedures behind a long-standing collaboration protocol for Christmas lighting, which has been in effect since 2012. This follows 'Operation Lumen', an investigation by the Judicial Police into suspected corruption, which led to searches of several municipalities and the arrest of the Lisbon City Council's secretary-general, Alberto Laplaine Guimarães. Moedas stated that the inquiry aims to determine if the contractual procedures and protocols involved any irregularities, independent of the ongoing criminal investigation by the Public Prosecution Service.
At issue are suspicions of preferential treatment for the country's largest Christmas lights company by several municipalities.
Four suspects questioned at the Central Investigation Court in Porto face potential pre-trial detention. The scandal involving the installation of Christmas lights is expected to implicate other municipalities.
Bruno Mascarenhas, who was publicly urged by MP Rita Matias to resign as a Lisbon city councillor following RTP reports regarding Mafalda Guerra Livermore—whom he appointed as administrator of the municipality's Social Services—not only refuses to step down but intends to run for the party's Lisbon district leadership. According to DN, Mascarenhas is currently reaching out to members to present his candidacy for the structure, currently led by MP Pedro Pessanha, dismissing the theory held by some Chega officials that Rita Matias's appeal signals a rift with André Ventura. The councillor, who led the party's list in the 2025 local elections, is preparing to present 'out-of-the-box' proposals for the capital's environment and green spaces. Despite Mascarenhas ruling out resignation or becoming an independent councillor, some within the party argue that his connection to Mafalda Guerra Livermore and the public call from a prominent party figure make his position untenable. On Tuesday, Chega's coordinator in the Lisbon Municipal Assembly, Luís Nunes, distanced the party from Mascarenhas, stating that the municipal group does not endorse his actions and was not consulted on his appointments to municipal company boards. Meanwhile, Mafalda Guerra Livermore claimed in a CMTV interview that she is being persecuted and alleged she discovered a 'financial hole' in the Social Services, denying she was dismissed by Mayor Carlos Moedas.
A municipal source indicated that the city council is cooperating with the authorities.
Press review || The case dates back to 2021
