The University of Porto and Coimbra, INEM, and the Bank of Portugal were among the entities visited by inspectors from the Judicial Police this Tuesday morning.
The presence of the authorities was linked to an alleged fraud scheme involving the use of community funds in the acquisition of IT systems.
The involved institutions may have been victims of this scheme, and six individuals have been detained.
Morning Raids in Porto
The operations began in the morning, targeting the University of Porto. A source from the educational institution confirmed the situation, stating it involved “a cartelization process for the acquisition of IT equipment,” which this institution “falls victim to.”
“The University of Porto is actively cooperating with the authorities’ work and is fully committed to clarifying all facts related to this process, admitting it could become an assistant in the process should accusations be made against any of its employees,” it said.
Searches are ongoing this morning.
Notícias ao Minuto | 09:21 – 08/07/2025
INEM Also Targeted
Information followed about searches at INEM headquarters without initial indications of any connection between the operations, a link which was established later.
In a statement to Lusa, INEM confirmed “the presence of the Judicial Police at the Institute’s premises in Lisbon, as part of an investigation involving other entities.”
“INEM is, naturally, cooperating with the Authorities, providing all requested information,” it concluded.
The Judicial Police is conducting searches this Tuesday at the INEM headquarters as part of an investigation related to purchases made by the Medical Emergency Service.
Notícias ao Minuto with Lusa | 10:16 – 08/07/2025
A training center and the Bank of Portugal were also targeted in this operation.
Six Detained for “Criminal Scheme”
According to the Judicial Police, six individuals were detained, including an administrator and three employees of a tech company, an employee of a concessionaire, and a public official.
The defendants are suspected of participating in a “criminal scheme, organized and systematic in nature, to illegally obtain privileged information in public and private procurement procedures, by offering material and non-material advantages to employees of the contracting entities”. They are charged with crimes including subsidy fraud, active and passive corruption, private sector corruption, economic participation in business, undue receipt of advantage, document forgery, and abuse of power.
Six individuals have been detained today by the Judicial Police (PJ) on suspicion of corruption and fraud in the acquisition of IT systems by universities and public schools funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), authorities announced today.
Inês Banha | 12:28 – 08/07/2025
The matter involves contracts worth at least 20 million euros, and the PJ has already seized about 4.6 million euros.
Additionally, producers/importers of IT products and solutions might have participated in the scheme, leveraging profit margins throughout the supply chain.
Operation Nexus Involved Hundreds of Searches and Officers
Operation ‘Nexus’ involved 103 searches, both residential and non-residential, across various national regions, including private companies, public bodies, public secondary and higher education institutions, public service concessionaires, exclusively public-owned companies, health units, a public utility foundation, and a travel agency.
The operation engaged about 300 criminal investigators from the Northern, Central, and Lisbon and Tagus Valley Directorates, the National Anti-Corruption Unit, the National Cybercrime Unit, the National Counter-Terrorism Unit, and the National Narcotics Unit, as well as IT experts, financial experts, and security personnel from the Judicial Police structures.
The detainees will be presented before the competent judicial authorities at the Criminal Investigation Court of Porto for initial judicial interrogation and imposition of the appropriate coercive measures.
