The Lisbon Court of Appeal, on October 21, rejected the appeal of Diogo Gaspar and three others involved in “Operation Knight,” maintaining Gaspar’s sentence of six years and six months imprisonment. The former director of the Museum of the Presidency had sought to reduce his sentence to less than five years, which would allow for suspension.
The appellate court found no grounds to overturn the initial decision, determining it was proportional and consistent with legal precedents and preventive needs.
Diogo Gaspar and his co-defendants were convicted on May 8, 2023, in the Lisbon Central Criminal Court.
Judge Luis Ribeiro found 18 charges against Gaspar proven, including embezzlement (seven counts), economic participation in a business (four), abuse of power (four), document forgery (two), and influence peddling (one).
Ribeiro noted Gaspar’s betrayal of trusted relationships with Presidents of the Republic, emphasizing his consistent pursuit of personal gain over several years.
The potential sentence for Gaspar ranged from one year and six months to 17 years and nine months. The judge noted the penalty was minimal considering the severity and continuity of Gaspar’s conduct. It was also ordered that Gaspar indemnify the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic.
Gaspar was acquitted of a prohibition on holding public office and of 10 additional counts of embezzlement, two of economic participation in business, three of power abuse, two of forgery, and one of money laundering. Two charges were deemed time-barred.
The court described the other defendants as influenced by Gaspar, whom they viewed as highly controlling.
Paulo Duarte received a sentence of one year and four months for economic participation and power abuse; José Dias was sentenced to one year and seven months for two counts of economic participation; Vítor Santos received one year and two months for economic participation in a business.
The defendants were also ordered to indemnify the state in amounts of 4,000, 3,000, and 1,000 euros, respectively.
The prosecution charged Gaspar, Dias, Duarte, and Santos with 42 crimes, including power abuse, economic participation in business, influence peddling, document forgery, embezzlement, and money laundering.
The investigation led by the Lisbon Public Prosecutor’s Office began in April 2015 following an anonymous tip.
