“None of the people I mentioned here are involved in this action. I came to clarify that Fernando Gomes should not be diminished in his role,” stated an attendee to the press, during the swearing-in of Gomes as the president of the Portuguese Olympic Committee (COP).
At the Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB) in Lisbon, Neves appeared alongside the former president of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), Fernando Gomes, and informed journalists that Gomes is not a suspect in the operation whose searches were conducted and revealed today, nor is Tiago Craveiro, the former general director of the organization.
“It’s not pleasant for us to have this action on such an important day for the country and sports. Our work continues on its course. We’ve scheduled work weeks in advance with many people involved,” he stated.
The FPF is now led by Pedro Proença, who took over in February this year from Fernando Gomes. Gomes presided over the FPF for the past 13 years and is set to be inaugurated as the COP’s leader.
Searches are related to the sale of the former FPF headquarters on Alexandre Herculano Street in Lisbon in 2018, for over 11 million euros, according to the Judicial Police (PJ). Police confirmed that, so far, a businessman and a former secretary general of the federation have been named as suspects.
The investigation concerns allegations of undue advantage, corruption, economic participation in business, and tax fraud, the police confirmed.
The PJ further stated in a release that the investigation identified several potential illicit activities, especially concerning the intermediary role in the sale of the building in question.
Today, 20 search warrants were executed in homes, a banking institution, and law firms across the districts of Lisbon, Setúbal, and Santarém.
Initiated in 2021, the investigation is being conducted by the Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DIAP) of Lisbon and will continue with the analysis of the evidence collected and further examinations and expert reports.
The FPF headquarters were sold in 2018 when Fernando Gomes was president. He left the position in February this year, succeeded by Pedro Proença, and is now being sworn in as the president of the COP.
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