Funchal court dismisses Atalaia Living Care lawsuit against Medialivre

The Funchal Central Civil Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Atalaia Living Care Association against Medialivre, the owner of Correio da Manhã, journalist Egídio Carreira, and three former officials of the institution.

The legal action stemmed from an April 2024 report titled ‘Friend pays salary to president’s daughter and receives millions from the Government’. The article stated that Sara Albuquerque, daughter of Miguel Albuquerque, received a monthly salary of 1,467 euros from a company controlled by businessman Tony Saramago, the founder of Atalaia Living Care, an institution that receives millions in funding from the Regional Government.

Judge Alexandre Azadinho ruled that the news report did not impute any illegal acts to the association and that no concrete damage to its image or reputation was demonstrated. Atalaia Living Care had argued that the publication suggested involvement in illicit practices and improperly linked regional government contracts to the hiring of Sara Albuquerque by a separate commercial entity.