A new maximum filing was beaten in 2024, with 405 corruption proceedings and associated crimes, such as abuse of power or prevarication, to end not to go to trial or have accusation.
A study by the Instituto Mais Freedom reveals a worrying portrait on the effectiveness of combating corruption in Portugal: in the last ten years, they have been Filed 2832 Processes related to corruption and related crimes, such as embezzlement, prevarication and abuse of power, but only 103 ended in convictions – the equivalent of just over 3%. 19 acquittal were also registered in the same period.
Data, which include the first half of 2024, indicate that the number of archives reached a new maximumwith 405 cases closed without accusation. For every four convictions, there are more than 100 archives, illustrating the huge mismatch between complaints and effective accountability.
Most judicial communications received by the National Anti-Corruption Mechanism (Menac)-which succeeded the Corruption Prevention Council-refers to case linked to local public administration (52%), followed by central administration (23%) and entities under public tutelage (12%). Only 11% involve the private sector.
The year 2024 also stands out for an absolute peak of archived proceedings, surpassing the previous record of 2020 (396 archives). Even when they consider only the crimes of corruption, they were Archived 156 processes In 2024, number equal to 2019, but substantially higher than 2023, with only 45, refers.
A slowness of the judicial system It is pointed as one of the main obstacles. The study underlines that there were cases with surveys closed after 12 years of investigation and accusations issued a decade after the facts.
André Pinção Lucas, executive director of Instituto Mais Freedom, argues that the problem is not only resolved by the worsening penalties, but with a real bet on better means of investigation. “Today, the Justice is not fulfilling Not even one role, nor the other – and this feeds a dangerous perception: that, to the lack of evidence, all are corrupt, ”he says.
This perception is reflected in the 2023 Eurobarometer data, which point out that 91% of the Portuguese believe that There is corruption in public institutions – The second highest rate of the European Union, just behind Greece.
The study concludes that the feeling of impunity is fueled by both the scarcity of convictions and the opacity of court proceedings, reinforcing the urgency of structural reforms in the justice system.
