The investigation focused on allegedly undue payments to society and the purchase of two properties in Lisbon by the family of the head of Government. While PSD celebrates the decision, Livre and PCP remain critical of issues of transparency and political ethics.
The preventive investigation into Spinumviva, the Attorney General’s Office announced this Wednesday. The Government parties rejoiced with the Public Ministry’s decision. Livre and PCP understand that there is an ethical dimension to the case that remains to be clarified. The PS did not comment.
PSD secretary general, Hugo Soares, said that the filing confirms the choice of the “real country” in the last legislative elections, adding that the prime minister is serious and “bulletproof”.
“I take this decision by the Public Ministry completely naturally. I believe you will know, that we never had any doubts, that Portugal had a serious prime minister. I used the expression several times that I want to repeat here: a bulletproof prime minister. A prime minister who is a man like any Portuguese woman or any Portuguese man who is listening to us”, he stated.
“It is positive that there is no type of suspicion of criminal wrongdoing regarding the Prime Minister”
Livre argued that the filing is positive, but does not invalidate a judgment about the lack of transparency and ethics of the Government leader.
“It is positive that there is no type of suspicion of criminal wrongdoing regarding the prime minister. From a political point of view, from the point of view of transparency and ethics, Livre has already made its assessment and we consider it to be negative. This is completely different from whether there is a criminal matter or not”, said deputy Paulo Muacho.
“Archiving does not erase promiscuity”
The PCP considered that the Public Ministry’s decision does not erase “the promiscuity” between politics and business. Paula Santos was speaking to journalists in parliament, after the Attorney General’s Office announced that the preventive investigation into Spinumviva’s activities was shelved on Tuesday.
“The shelving of this case by the Public Prosecutor’s Office does not erase the promiscuity between the exercise of public office and economic power”, stated the president of the PCP Parliamentary Group.
The final decision of the Public Ministry
In a note published on the website of the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action, the Public Prosecutor’s Office justifies the archiving with the fact that there was no “news of the commission of a criminal offense”.
According to the statement, the investigation initially focused on payments to Spinumviva that were not owed to the company, including when Luís Montenegro was already Prime Minister, and was later extended to the purchase by the head of Government’s family of two properties in Lisbon.
At issue were “suspicions of the danger of committing the crime of receiving or offering an undue advantage”, which were not confirmed by the analysis of the elements provided by various entities.
The preventive investigation had been opened on March 12, 2025.
With LUSA
