The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, successfully requested to prevent public access to the matrix numbers of more than 50 properties he declared to the Entity for Transparency (EpT).
The social democrat declared to EpT six urban properties (including a house in Espinho and an apartment in Lisbon) and 46 rustic buildings inherited from his family, and submitted a request to oppose the publication of these matrix numbers. The EpT approved this request, thereby preventing public scrutiny of Montenegro’s real estate assets.
The Prime Minister’s office did not respond to questions about the reasons for this opposition. However, it is suggested that the request aimed to protect the privacy and security of his family.
The matrix number allows for the identification and location of a property, essential for accessing the deed and verifying if it might have been bought illegally or at a discounted price. However, by law, politicians or high-level public managers can oppose public access to property matrix numbers.
In July, EpT had noted that the Prime Minister had submitted requests to oppose public consultation of his income declarations. This related to the client list of Spinumviva, his family’s company.
The Entity for Transparency confirmed that the Prime Minister submitted requests against the public consultation of his income declarations. However, Montenegro clarified that he only opposed the disclosure of elements related to Spinumviva’s clients and criticized the news coverage.
