Portugal’s Finance Minister, Mário Centeno is being investigated on suspicion of committing the crime of receiving 'undue advantage' which is punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.
The Department of Criminal Investigation and Action in Lisbon carried out searches at the Ministry of Finance on Friday 26th January, after it had been granted a warrant.
The prosecution wants to establish whether or not there is a link between Centeno's request for top tickets to a Benfica football game and a request from the son of Luís Filipe Vieira, Benfica FC's president, to obtain a tax exemption for a real estate development in Lisbon.
This is the same area of crime that is being investigated over the Euro 2016 football trips furnished by Galp that triggered high level resignations.
Galp refuses to pay the ‘extraordinary energy contribution’ of over €100 million and treated three Portuguese State employees to Euro2016 tickets plus travel to and from France by privately charted aeroplane. Resignations from João Vasconcelos, Secretary of State for Industry, and Jorge Costa Oliveira, Secretary of State for Internationalisation were received alongside that of Fernando Rocha Andrade, Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs,
The Attorney General's Office confirmed on Saturday that the searches carried out at the ministry last Friday were to seize documents in an investigation that has yet to name anyone as an official suspect,
A source at the ministry stated that all necessary documentation has been made available.
Should Finance Minister, Mário Centeno, be found culpable, this presents a huge problem for the prime minister as to lose his finance minister, when Portugal’s economy is going so well, would be a deep shock and embarrassment.
