Public administration news in Portugal

The European Public Prosecutor's Office has requested documents from the Judiciary Police (Polícia Judiciária or PJ) regarding construction contracts awarded to the firm Construbarcelos while the current Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves, served as the national director of the PJ. The investigation follows reports that the PJ, under Neves, transferred a trailer containing hazardous drug-production solvents to a private facility after security concerns were raised at a Navy site. Government officials stated they do not intervene in the day-to-day management of such entities.

Update: European prosecutors investigate construction contracts from Neves' tenure

New reports indicate that the European Public Prosecutor's Office is reviewing renovation projects at the PJ headquarters in Guarda, a 4.33 million euro initiative partially funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência or PRR). Investigations reveal that over 40% of the funding for contracts awarded by the PJ to Construbarcelos during Luís Neves' tenure came from European sources, with the firm's owner reportedly maintaining personal ties to the minister.

Paulo Macedo, the CEO of Caixa Geral de Depósitos (Caixa Geral de Depósitos or CGD), has advocated for increasing salaries for public administration officials. He argued that these wages should no longer be indexed to politicians' salaries and suggested that the state should offer more flexibility in rewarding top-performing employees to improve public service quality.

The Court of Auditors (Tribunal de Contas or TdC) has identified illegalities regarding the appointment of at least 49 managers at the Oeiras City Council (Câmara de Oeiras). These officials have been serving in acting roles beyond the 90-day legal limit without the required public tender procedures. The TdC report suggests these findings could lead to future disciplinary action against those responsible for human resources management.

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has appointed António Vicente as the new Secretary-General of the Government. Vicente, who currently coordinates the working group for state reform, will succeed Carlos Costa Neves. The government stated that the appointment will be made without additional costs to the public treasury, as Vicente will maintain his existing salary as a European Commission civil servant.

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.

The President of the Court of Auditors (Tribunal de Contas) has called for a rigorous debate over government plans to reform the institution. A major point of contention is the proposed end of prior approval (visto prévio) for certain public contracts, which critics say is essential for financial sustainability. Former officials warn that weakening the court's oversight could undermine the state's ability to analyze complex private-sector contracts. Residents should note that these changes aim to speed up public procurement but face significant institutional pushback.