The decision, highlighted in the region, was confirmed today to the Lusa news agency by the president of the Madeira Judicial District, stating that the lifting of coercive measures was due to the lapse of the deadline for filing charges.
On September 17, 2024, eight individuals were detained in Madeira, including Carlos Teles, the president of the Calheta Municipal Council and the Madeiran Municipal Association, former Secretary of Agriculture and Fisheries Humberto Vasconcelos, Bruno Freitas, the president of the Madeira Health Administration Institute, businessmen Humberto Drumond and Miguel Nóbrega, former Director of Agriculture and Regional Development Paulo Santos, and two employees from the same department of the Regional Government.
At the time, the Judiciary Police (PJ) announced a large-scale operation in Madeira, dubbed “AB INITIO,” targeting economic and financial criminal activities. The operation involved 110 PJ officials, four public prosecutors, two judges from the Funchal Judicial Court, and six members of the Technical Advisory Unit.
The investigation focused on alleged crimes including economic participation in business dealings, improper receipt or offer of advantages, misconduct, and illegal political party financing.
According to the PJ, this investigation began in 2020 and was spearheaded by the National Unit to Combat Corruption alongside the Madeira Criminal Investigation Department. It addressed “behaviors considered as highly organized crime.”
The operation executed arrest warrants for eight individuals and conducted both residential and non-residential searches, including at two municipal headquarters and four regional departments.
Public tenders awarded by regional public entities, conducted by political officeholders and employees, were under scrutiny. These tenders were allegedly given to companies controlled by a single person or managed by acquaintances, contravening public tender rules, as noted in a statement by the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) at the time.
The investigation covered at least 25 tenders from 2020 to 2024, amounting to over one million euros (excluding VAT).
The PGR also noted suspicions of simulated procedures and cost inflation in tenders to settle political party debts incurred from election campaigns. The inquiry is ongoing at the Lisbon Regional Department of Investigation and Penal Action and remains under judicial secrecy.
Four days following the arrests, on September 20, the eight defendants were brought to the court in handcuffs for their initial judicial hearing, where they chose to remain silent.
The Criminal Instruction Judge ordered their release, imposing only identification and residence terms, a ban on contacting other defendants, and mandatory court clearance before leaving the region, though passports were not confiscated.
Only the former head of the Health Institute was barred from resuming his duties as president of the Board of Directors, a measure still in place.
