Portugal’s Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) has confirmed that searches were carried out at Albufeira Council as part of an investigation “under judicial secrecy” being led by the Regional Department of Investigation and Prosecution (DIAP) in Évora.
In a statement issued today, the Public Prosecutor confirmed the operation had begun, but declined to provide further details regarding the suspicions under scrutiny.
“It is only confirmed that searches have been conducted within the scope of an inquiry led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Regional Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP) of Évora, which is under judicial secrecy,” the Office of the Attorney General said in a response to questions from press.
News of the searches at the municipality, led by Rui Cristina, who was elected by the Chega party in last year’s local elections, was first reported by CNN Portugal.
According to the broadcaster’s speculations, the case concerns suspected offences of incitement to hatred and racial discrimination. These allegations stem from remarks made by the mayor during a Municipal Assembly meeting in November, in which he stated that he would not spend public funds on housing for the Roma community.
At the Albufeira Municipal Assembly meeting on 26th November, a recording of which is available on the body’s official YouTube channel, Rui Cristina said he would not “spend money on the Roma ethnic group” while local residents remained in need of housing. The comment came in response to a municipal deputy’s question regarding the construction of social housing in the municipality.
“What I am about to say is highly controversial. This is not the kind of discourse I usually engage in, but it must be said. I apologise, this is difficult to say. You may call me xenophobic, you may call me whatever you wish. First come those of us who pay taxes and have needs, and only then these communities. That is how it will be. For as long as I am here, over these four years […], that is how it will be in this regard,” he stated.
Chega leader André Ventura condemned the judicial searches, describing the operation as an attempt to intimidate Mayor Rui Cristina.
Speaking on the matter, Ventura criticised the searches, accusing the authorities of using “police and coercive powers to intimidate a representative of the people”.
“What happened today is, in every respect, regrettable. The Portuguese authorities have used their police and coercive powers to intimidate a representative of the people who had stated, rightly, that he would no longer continue to allocate additional social housing to Roma communities,” he said.
In a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Ventura argued that this position reflects Chega’s “political programme”, stressing that the party is now the “second largest national force” and has a “duty to deliver” on its promises.
Journalists attempted to obtain a comment from the Mayor of Albufeira by telephone, but had been unsuccessful at the time of publication.
Rui Cristina took office as Mayor of Albufeira on 4th November 2025, having been elected the previous month with 40.51% of the vote as the Chega candidate, unseating the PSD/CDS-PP coalition, which had governed the municipality for several decades.
His victory marked Chega’s first entry into municipal power in the Faro district, following the party’s success in the Algarve in the 2024 and 2025 legislative elections
Source: LUSA
