Following several delays – not least because of the need for getting hundreds of pages translated into Mandarin Chinese – the Public Ministry case centring on alleged corruption involving the issuing of Portugal’s “golden” residency visas has been cleared for a court hearing.
Evidence against 17 ‘arguidos’ arrested in 2014 – including former interior minister Miguel Macedo, for Justice ministry secretary general Maria Antónia Anes, former notaries boss António Figueiredo and former national director of SEF borders agency Manuel Jarmela Palos – points to belief by the authorities that they “commercialised the bedrock of the State machine”.
The 17 will therefore stand in the dock at a date yet to be specified.
Lusa news agency explains that the case that emerges from Operation Labyrinth (click here) is based on the “acquisition of golden visas and the investigation of indications of active and passive corruption, the undue receipt of advantage, prevarication, abuse of power, trafficking of influence and misappropriation of public funds”.
