The Polícia Judiciária (PJ) conducted searches on Monday at the headquarters of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) over allegations of corruption, undue advantage, economic participation in business, and qualified tax fraud. This operation, known as “Operation Mais Valia,” was confirmed by the national director of the PJ, Luís Neves.
Luís Neves stated to journalists, “This concerns the sale of the former headquarters of the Portuguese Football Federation. It involves suspicions of corruption, undue advantage, and tax fraud.” He further elaborated, “Today, we executed around 20 searches.”
The inquiry is based in the Department of Investigation and Penal Action in Lisbon, under the jurisdiction of the PJ’s National Anti-Corruption Unit. The Public Prosecutor’s Office authorized the seizure of computers, mobile phones, and other relevant electronic devices.
PJ’s official statement clarified that the operation executed 20 search warrants and seizures in residential sites, a banking institution, businesses, and law firms across the districts of Lisbon, Setúbal, and Santarém. “During the investigation, a series of situations were identified that might constitute illicit conduct, particularly related to the mediation of the sale of the former FPF headquarters, located at Rua Alexandre Herculano, nº58, Lisbon. The property was sold for eleven million two hundred fifty thousand euros,” stated the authority.
The crimes in question could encompass the receipt of undue advantage, corruption, economic participation in business, and qualified tax fraud. The operation was carried out by 65 Inspectors and 15 Scientific Police Specialists from the PJ, alongside five criminal instruction judges, six Public Prosecutors, and four representatives from the Bar Association.
“The investigation will continue with an analysis of the evidence now collected and with the appropriate examinations and expert assessments, aiming for a thorough ascertainment of the truth and its swift conclusion,” the PJ concluded.
The FPF is currently led by Pedro Proença, who took over from Fernando Gomes earlier this year, after Gomes’s 13-year presidency. A PJ source reported to Lusa that the searches resulted in two individuals being designated as suspects: António Gameiro, a former Socialist Party deputy, and Paulo Lourenço, the former secretary-general of the FPF. Luís Neves clarified that Fernando Gomes and Tiago Craveiro, the former CEO of the FPF, are not under investigation.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office also confirmed the searches “at various locations across the country, including the premises of the Portuguese Football Federation,” adding that the inquiry focuses on facts related to the sale of the former FPF headquarters.
[Updated at 23:31]
