Carlos Melo Alves, the lawyer representing Nininho Vaz Maia, affirmed on Thursday that the singer did not make a statement to authorities as he was not asked to do so. The lawyer aimed to clarify several pieces of news he claims are false, specifically regarding the operation conducted by the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) and the materials seized during the searches.
“An investigation is characterized as follows: when there are suspicions, even very slight ones, the police request the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which then asks a judge, to conduct searches to confirm or dismiss these suspicions,” he explained.
He stated that “one of the items seized from Nininho was a mobile phone,” and stressed that “it is completely false” to claim that the device contained Sky, an encrypted communication system suspected by police to be used by an alleged trafficking network.
The lawyer further mentioned, “Nininho was not even questioned,” and from a legal standpoint, “no crime is attributed to him.”
He elaborated: “To accuse him of a crime, it would be necessary for the Criminal Police body, the Public Ministry, the judge to call Nininho and say, ‘We have these facts against you and from these facts, in our understanding, arises the crime of drug trafficking and criminal association.’ This did not happen, Nininho did not make any statements because he was not asked to provide any.”
The lawyer denied allegations that the singer transported drugs “in the vehicles used to take musicians and equipment to other countries, including Spain,” and argued that “a simple check of open sources would show that Nininho has never performed a concert in Spain.”
Regarding other allegedly “false” news, Carlos Melo Alves also denied that Nininho Vaz Maia “allowed large sums of money to circulate through his accounts.”
“What an absurdity! Anyone knows and must know that the concerts were paid to Nininho’s agency, and the agency then transfers this money to Nininho’s bank account. Everything is in order,” he pointed out.
The lawyer also revealed that, in addition to the mobile phone, authorities seized “some anabolic steroids,” but argued these were “related to medical reasons” and added that there are “medical prescriptions.”
“A sum of money was seized from him, this must be stated, because there is a station claiming they seized 150,000 euros from him… And that is completely false! They seized four thousand euros, which was related to ‘merchandising,'” he said, assuring that no narcotics were seized.
Reiterating that “no crime is attributed to him,” Carlos Melo Alves emphasized that the singer “is available for the authorities to develop and clarify the facts.”
“Nininho is calm regarding this process, but he is concerned about the string of lies appearing in the media,” he said.
The singer was declared a formal suspect by police investigating alleged money laundering following searches conducted on Tuesday morning as part of an air drug trafficking investigation. However, he is not the main target of the operation, which has led to two arrests, both of whom have been released.
In a statement, the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) reported conducting 33 searches, both residential and non-residential, in the Greater Lisbon area as part of the SKYS4ALL operation, “resulting in the arrest of two national citizens and the declaration of three formal suspects,” including Nininho Vaz Maia.
The investigation reportedly targets a criminal group involved in drug trafficking by air and money laundering.
“The operation aimed to gather evidence about the presumed illegal activities of a criminal group dedicated to air drug trafficking and money laundering,” explained the authority.
Besides executing search and seizure warrants, authorities also seized five vehicles, two firearms, a large amount of cash, various communication equipment, and documents, added the PJ.
The investigations continue under the direction of the Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DIAP) of Loures, in the district of Lisbon.
