Portugal's public prosecutors have succeeded in presenting compelling cases for each of the 17 suspects in the Golden Visa investigation into corruption and peddling influence: all are to be tried.
The accused include the former Minister of Home Affairs, Miguel Macedo, whose protestations of innocence and his “the buck stops here” resignation was followed by his arrest.
The judge presented with the results of Operation Labyrinth says that everyone arrested will be tried, including the former president of the Institute of Notaries, António Figueiredo, the former head of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), Manuel Jarmela Palos, the former secretary-general of the Justice Ministry, Maria Antónia Anes, and several 'Chinese businessmen.'
The 'Golden Visa' scheme was launched by Paulo Portas, the Deputy Prime Minister in the last government, to give him something to do.
The programme is still running and offers Portuguese residency, tax advantages and freedom of travel within the Shengen area.
The visa processing at first was lamentably slow and, as it turns out, populated by public servants keen to line their own pockets at the expense of applicants who mostly have been Chinese.
Charges include paying out and receiving bribes, the favouring of certain applicants over others, embezzlement and abuse of power.
A somewhat testy Paulo Portas was obliged to suspend and relaunch his scheme.
With Manuel Jarmela Palos gone as head of the SEF, when Golden Visa II was launched, the SEF staff mysteriously worked at a snail’s pace, triggering the national estate agency association APEMIP to launch a sharp criticism despite many of its members hugely better off as houses of €500,000 or more at last had been selling.
The Public Ministry is all set to follow through these cases that have caused international embarrassment to Portugal with critics observing that the country cannot devise and run a scheme without those in charge taking full advantage of all opportunities to enrich themselves.
