Investigations are currently underway by the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) at the Town Hall of Nazaré, as part of an ongoing inquiry into a concession contract regarding the private use of a public maritime domain area in the Porto de Abrigo da Nazaré port zone,” stated the Nazaré Municipality in Leiria district.
In a statement, the local government indicated it is “fully cooperating with inspectors from the Criminal Investigation Department of Leiria, ensuring access to all requested information and documentation, with complete transparency and a spirit of institutional cooperation.”
The PJ reported conducting searches in Lisbon, Nazaré, and Caldas da Rainha, involving the municipality of Nazaré, the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), and Docapesca, over suspicions of economic participation in a business, forgery, corruption, and money laundering.
The PJ noted that “the inquiry concerns facts related to the processing of a concession contract, valid for 40 years, involving the private use of a public maritime domain area — which includes public water domain — located in the Porto de Abrigo da Nazaré port zone, pertaining to the rehabilitation and conservation of nine houses located there for tourism purposes.”
Contacted by Lusa, Walter Chicharro, the then-president of the Nazaré Municipality (PS), clarified that “the municipality’s role is merely urban licensing” in the process.
The former local leader stated, “The houses are owned by the Central State,” and the concession contract “was initiated by the Central State, through DOCA Pesca,” emphasizing that “in all the legal procedures for granting the nine houses, the municipality of Nazaré has no involvement,” since “a Central State entity had to launch the tender.”
The urban licensing process, approved by a majority, “is a technical process, not a political one,” and its approval in a council session “had technical opinions from the architects’ service,” which the socialist assured: “never gave me, in the past and will not give me now or probably in the future, any reason for concern regarding legality compliance.”
Reaffirming “total confidence in the legality” of the issued opinions, the former president expressed surprise at the “references to the Nazaré municipality” when the process in question involves the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and Doca Pesca (port manager).
“The concession is not from the municipality, the property is not municipal, the municipality’s involvement is merely its urban licensing,” he argued.
Walter Chicharro, who had not yet been heard by the PJ, assured “complete peace,” asserting that “illegalities were never part” of his way of conducting municipal business.
In the statement, the PJ mentioned conducting 15 searches, both residential and non-residential, “in a public capital corporation, a Municipal Council, five state organization facilities, the headquarters of three commercial companies, and a tourist enterprise.”
The inquiry, under the secrecy of justice, is coordinated by the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DCIAP), assisted by the PJ, which will now analyze the collected evidence – both physical and digital.
The operation “Dunas” involved three prosecutors, 40 criminal investigators, and scientific police specialists from the PJ, and was supported by the PJ Central Directorate, the IT Technological Expertise Unit, and the Financial and Accounting Expertise Unit.
