Latest news and stories about public funds in legal in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
A presiding judge at the Court of Auditors has archived the case against former Lisbon mayors Fernando Medina and António Costa regarding the 96,000 euro payment to Joaquim Morão, overturning auditors' recommendations for financial liability.
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 contract provided for the division of ticket revenues, with 80% for SIC and 20% for EGEAC, for which the maximum return would be 4,792 euros.
The 2020 intervention at the former Belém Military Hospital in Lisbon, intended to urgently accommodate mild COVID-19 patients, is one of the projects under investigation in a case where 73 defendants, including former Director-General of National Defence Resources Alberto Coelho and several businessmen, face charges of corruption and other economic and financial crimes.
The decision to request the return of amounts paid in error for surgeries performed as additional production by dermatology teams was made at the beginning of the year. IGAS found payments totaling 800,000 euros.
PCP councillor reports that Loures City Council 'accepted an exchange for unvalued land'. This is the second time in a year that CDU/Loures has reported urban planning operations in the municipality to the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Inspectors were at the ACSS headquarters this Friday collecting information regarding an alleged case of fraud involving European funds, dating back to 2020/2021.
The Lisbon City Council (CML) provided 75,000 euros to an individual who worked on Moedas' election campaign.
The dermatology teams at Santa Maria Hospital must return the more than 800,000 euros they received improperly for surgeries performed as additional production, according to the Health Regulatory Inspection Services (IGAS).
The funds must be returned by all team members who received payment for surgeries performed outside of normal working hours.
Improper payments made to Miguel Alpalhão and other professionals concern additional surgeries performed between 2021 and 2025, a period that includes authorisations granted by the current minister.
The trial regarding the Social Security Fund for State Employees and Agents (CPFAE) began last month at the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon, with four sessions already held. The investigation lasted over a decade and involves the embezzlement of approximately one million euros from a century-old institution.
An inquiry opened in 2013 is only now reaching trial. The prosecution describes a “spiral of ambition” that diverted one million euros from the public servants' pension fund. The defendants are aged between 66 and 90.
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.
The Union of Trade and Services Associations (UACS) stated on Monday, March 30, that there is “total financial and accounting transparency” regarding Lisbon's Christmas lights, following Operation Lumen, which led to the arrest and indictment of the UACS president. The investigation concerns alleged economic crimes in contracts for the installation of festive lighting, involving officials from the Lisbon City Council and the company Castros Iluminações Festivas. While the UACS president, Carla Salsinha, has been suspended from her duties by the court, the association maintains that it has not been named as a defendant in the case and that its operations continue as normal.
The Chega party in the Oeiras Municipal Assembly has tabled a motion of no confidence against the local executive, citing a loss of political legitimacy following the indictment of Mayor Isaltino Morais for embezzlement. The Public Prosecutor's Office has charged Morais and 22 other municipal officials over the alleged misuse of 150,000 euros in public funds for personal meals between 2017 and 2024. While Morais maintains that the expenses were for legitimate working lunches, the motion demands his resignation or suspension to protect the municipality's reputation and institutional trust.
Isaltino Morais shares lunches paid for with taxpayer money on social media — is he surprised by the accusation? And the 'measured' Bank of Portugal, one of the novelties from Álvaro Santos Pereira.
Between 2017 and 2024, meal costs reached 1,232 euros per month. Among the 23 defendants are a Lisbon city councillor and a former Secretary of State. Restaurants would bill the municipality and receive payment in cash.
The Mayor of Oeiras, Isaltino Morais, responded this Wednesday (25) to accusations from the Public Prosecutor's Office, asserting that “everything is within the law” and that the expenses in question relate to “business lunches” that are part of the municipality's normal activities. The mayor, who was charged alongside 22 other defendants with embezzlement and abuse of power regarding 150,000 euros spent on meals paid for by the municipality, stressed that these meals are part of the daily administrative routine of a city council. The case involves over 1,400 meals between 2017 and 2024. While the Public Prosecutor's Office considers this a “flagrant misappropriation” and a “serious breach of duty,” Isaltino Morais countered by asking where the illegality lies. He maintains that the council is fully cooperating with the investigation and that the expenses were for “business and courtesy lunches,” noting that he authorizes such meals daily as part of routine operations.
Carlos Moedas is keeping Joana Baptista in her role as a councillor in Lisbon, despite her being one of 23 formal suspects in an investigation into 150,000 euros spent on meals paid for by the Oeiras municipality. The Public Prosecutor's Office has charged Isaltino Morais, the mayor of Oeiras, in a case involving over 1,400 meals improperly paid for with public funds between 2017 and 2025. While the Lisbon City Council stated that Baptista will remain in the executive, it noted that she has yet to provide any clarification regarding the allegations. This situation contrasts with Moedas's previous stance on maintaining officials under suspicion, as well as his recent decision to dismiss Alberto Laplaine Guimarães following a court order in a separate investigation.
The mayor, accused by the Public Prosecutor's Office of spending hundreds of thousands of euros on “working lunches”, says that “everything is within the law”.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has charged the Mayor of Oeiras and 22 other defendants with embezzlement and abuse of power. The case concerns meals that were allegedly paid for improperly with municipal funds.
The mayor, accused by the Public Prosecutor's Office of spending hundreds of thousands of euros on “working lunches”, says that “everything is within the law”.
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.
At issue are suspicions of abuse of power crimes regarding expenses for over 1,400 meals. Additionally, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament are choosing the headquarters for the new EU Customs Authority today.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has charged Isaltino Morais and 22 other municipal officials with embezzlement and abuse of power regarding over 150,000 euros spent on more than 1,400 meals paid for by the municipality.
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 over 150,000 euros spent on meals paid for by the municipality. The local authority subsequently refuted the accusations.
The mayor of Oeiras and 22 other municipal officials have been charged with embezzlement regarding expenses for 1,441 meals. The Public Prosecutor's Office is seeking the return of the funds and the forfeiture of the mayor's mandate. Oeiras City Council refutes the accusations.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has charged the Mayor of Oeiras, Isaltino Morais, and 22 other municipal officials with embezzlement and abuse of power. According to CNN this Tuesday, the case involves “abuse of office” and “serious breach of duty” regarding 1,441 meals paid for by the municipality between 2017 and 2024.
The Public Prosecutor's Office is requesting the forfeiture of political mandates for the positions currently held by the accused. Lisbon councillor Joana Batista is one such case.
