A total of 195 defendants – mostly police officers from the GNR’s Brigada de Trânsito division – are standing trial on corruption charges.
The 173 GNR officers were stationed at various places – Lisbon, Leiria, Torres Vedras, Carregado, Coimbra, Santarém and Setúbal. The other 22 defendants are businessmen or representatives from various firms, who allegedly benefitted from ‘favours’ given by agents from the GNR’s BT division.
According to a source close to the case, the illegal acts of which the defendants are accused “were carried out while issuing traffic fines, with the idea of receiving financial advantages”. The officers were, apparently, turning a blind eye to traffic infractions by certain vehicles from particular companies with whom they had a special agreement.
