Latest news and stories about golden visa in property in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
A 58-year-old Odivelas-based lawyer has been sentenced to prison for defrauding 33 Chinese investors of 1.2 million euros, funds which were misappropriated for online gambling under the guise of facilitating Golden Visa property acquisitions.
Cultural investments via the golden visa scheme have surged, with 85% of total funding occurring in 2024 and 2025, primarily concentrated in the North and Greater Lisbon regions despite a lack of mandatory impact assessments.
Arrested in Odivelas, the 58-year-old lawyer is suspected of 32 counts of breach of trust and money laundering since 2022, defrauding Chinese citizens.
An organised group seized luxury villas whose owners were out of the country and sold them to other foreigners.
The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested five men and three women on Tuesday, suspected of a multi-million euro qualified fraud involving the sale of vacant properties owned by foreign citizens with 'Golden Visas'. The 'Golden Key' operation, conducted by the Lisbon and Tagus Valley branch of the PJ, followed complaints filed in July 2025. The suspects allegedly used forged documents, such as IDs and powers of attorney, to sell the properties without the owners' consent. The group, aged between 26 and 62, then laundered the proceeds through luxury goods and bank transfers. The PJ has recovered several properties and seized approximately 1.5 million euros in bank assets.
The Judiciary Police announced an operation that resulted in the arrest of five men and three women, aged between 26 and 62. The case involves the fraudulent sale of unoccupied homes belonging to foreign citizens with “golden visas,” which were sold in their names without their consent. As part of the “Golden Key” operation, ten residential and non-residential searches were carried out in the Lisbon area.
The Judiciary Police announced an operation that resulted in the arrest of five men and three women, aged between 26 and 62. The case involves the fraudulent sale of unoccupied homes belonging to foreign citizens with “golden visas,” which were sold in their names without their consent. As part of the “Golden Key” operation, ten residential and non-residential searches were carried out in the Lisbon area.
The victims are mostly Chinese nationals who believed they had acquired the properties as part of the golden visa programme.
The victims are mostly Chinese nationals who believed they had acquired the properties as part of the golden visa programme.
