Latest news and stories about transparency in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
The Constitutional Court has admitted to a decades-long failure in maintaining a comprehensive registry of public officials required to disclose their assets and corporate interests, following an inquiry by the Left Bloc.
The Cascais PSD has officially handed over municipal portfolios to Chega, following a governance agreement approved by Chega's national leadership. The party, led by Ventura, will now oversee the portfolios for transparency and sports. In response, the Socialist Party (PS) has decided to return their portfolios in protest, marking a significant shift in the local political landscape.
Aguiar-Branco considered it “important that the Public Prosecution Service and judges get used to speaking to the press” on a daily basis regarding “matters that do not involve judicial secrecy”. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 68th World Meeting of Judges taking place in Lisbon, Aguiar-Branco stated it is “important that the Public Prosecution Service...”,
Aguiar-Branco considers that 'isolation harms justice'.
Transparency International Portugal requests the release of all communications related to the SIRESP emergency network following the removal of the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Internal Administration.
After Aguiar-Branco rejected the understanding of Ventura's conflict of interest, Livre requests an evaluation from the parliamentary Transparency committee.
The BE coordinator stated today that the approval of the inquiry into the exams, despite opposition from PSD and CDS-PP, proves that the Government 'continues to hinder transparency', appealing to all parliamentary benches to vote in favour.
Luís Rosa, a commentator for CNN Portugal, analyses the new chapter of the controversy involving Luís Neves. The minister did not declare his cars to the Transparency Entity despite being required to do so.
I have already shown here how Nova SBE launched the scheme against the democratic election of the rector, to prevent anyone from looking closely at the business conducted there, starting with the very unclear ownership of the building and land. Having failed in everything else, they used the Board of Trustees, which has two members whose terms have expired and whose new appointments are being blocked in the minister's office, who is becoming increasingly involved in an unseemly palace coup.
The official argued that the image of the PJ is not tarnished by the controversies surrounding decisions made by his predecessor in the role.
The certification was delivered this Monday to the head of state, António José Seguro, at the Belém Palace, by the president of the Court of Auditors, Filipa Urbano Calvão.
The State has acknowledged that there was no basis for the dismissal of the former president of the CCB, Francisca Carneiro Fernandes. Speaking to Expresso, the individual in question, who challenged the dismissal order issued by the former Minister of Culture Dalila Rodrigues, states that “any government official is obliged to make transparent and properly substantiated decisions.”
The ministry overseen by Joaquim Miranda Sarmento rejected the Left Bloc's request to access the contract between the State and the Sana Group, to whom the Quartel da Graça was leased. The party considers the decision “unacceptable” and insists on access, even if it is “partial”.
António José Seguro visited the new headquarters of the Anti-Corruption Mechanism this Wednesday, where he stated that “prevention is the first phase” in avoiding these phenomena, the victims of which “are the people”.
This is another story in the Lisbon of Moedas that does not appear on his social media, requiring no adjectives because the facts speak for themselves. The Graça Barracks, a national monument in the heart of the São Vicente parish, was handed over to a private group in 2019 with the promise of a five-star hotel, a 30-million-euro investment, and an annual rent of nearly 1.79 million euros for the State. By 2026, the building has suffered from over half a decade of neglect, construction only began this year—well past the 2023 deadline—and the State is not receiving the rent it is owed. The concessionaire has now requested a contract revision, citing 'financial rebalancing,' and has stopped paying rent. The State, through Estamo, has suspended the concessionaire's obligations while reviewing the request, effectively allowing the party in breach of contract to stop paying. With nearly 4.5 million euros in unpaid rent, the lack of transparency is such that even the local parish council had to go to court to access public documents. Both the central Government and the Lisbon City Council, led by Moedas, are being criticised for their passivity and lack of oversight regarding this public asset.
At Lisbon City Hall, appointments on an interim basis are coming to an end. All management roles, and we are talking about 163 positions, will from now on be chosen through public tenders. Opinion by Gonçalo Reis
How are citizens and local elected officials expected to exercise the oversight that is their right if the names of the beneficiaries are redacted?
PCP, Chega, Livre, and Bloco state that the allocation of 750,000 euros to Turismo de Lisboa, following Operation Lumen, follows unclear criteria. They also point out that ATL is headed by a former advisor to Moedas.
After it became known that the Governor of the Bank of Portugal bought shares in non-financial companies while already in office, Parliament voted in favour of a hearing for Santos Pereira.
The Governor of the Bank of Portugal has disclosed that his personal bank account balance is 1,166 euros.
Chega announced on Monday (April 27) that it will submit a bill to parliament to clarify rules regarding the disclosure of party donors. Party leader André Ventura stated the proposal seeks a better balance between transparency and privacy, while also calling for increased resources for oversight bodies. Ventura argued that while high-value donations should be disclosed by name, personal details such as tax identification numbers and home addresses should remain private. He also criticised the current lack of oversight, noting that the Transparency Entity has only reviewed 10% of politicians' declarations, and suggested that media funding rules should be aligned with those of public office holders. Additionally, Ventura dismissed accusations from the Religious Freedom Commission regarding discriminatory statements by party members in Madeira, framing them as an attempt to criminalise political discourse.
The Bank of Portugal only states that the share purchase was reversed, without clarifying whether Álvaro Santos Pereira disposed of the shares through sales.
Socialist MP trusts that Seguro 'is attentive to these issues and will not allow steamrollers to run over transparency'
Socialist MP Pedro Delgado Alves accused the President of the Assembly of the Republic of doing a 'disservice' and caricaturing the oversight of transparency and institutional functioning. He justified turning his back on Aguiar-Branco at the end of his speech during the 25th of April solemn session in Parliament. The MP stated that the speech undermined years of work on transparency, conflicts of interest, and revolving doors, which are essential for public trust. Delgado Alves noted that while solemn sessions are not typically for protests, he chose this gesture to express his displeasure at what he described as an aggressive and mocking tone from the Assembly President. The session was also marked by calls for transparency in party donations and attacks on the so-called 'owners of April'.
The data comes from a 2025 activity report by the Entity for Transparency, cited by the newspaper Público. Additionally, the President of the Republic calls for the spirit of April to be upheld in the fight against inequalities.
Questioned by Expresso regarding the transparency of previous processes that sparked controversy, president Nuno Vassallo e Silva stated, following the presentation of the Belém Cultural Centre's strategic plan for the next four years, that 'direct appointment' does not make sense for these positions. The institution also aims to reduce its dependence on the State by diversifying funding sources and reaching new audiences by 2030.
Socialists asked in a press conference whether the National Data Protection Commission was consulted before the contract was signed between the Government's general secretariat and NewsWhip Media.
A Socialist official requests the disclosure of the specifications and the purposes of the 'journalist ranking' function.
Livre municipal deputies accuse the mayor of not being “transparent” or providing “clarifications” to the Lisbon Municipal Assembly, the body that oversees the City Council. The PSD regrets that the debate was accepted by André Moz Caldas and considers that the PS is doing “a disservice to Lisbon and to democracy.”
