Portuguese Interior Minister Luís Neves Faces EU Prosecutor Probe Over Contractor Payments

The European Public Prosecutor Office has opened a preventive investigation after Portugal's Public Prosecutor launched an inquiry into the movement of a seized trailer at the premises of Construbarcelos, a construction firm linked to João Santos Carvalho, a friend of Interior Minister Luís Neves. The probe concerns a payment of €445,000 made by the construction group DST to Construbarcelos while DST was carrying out works for the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) during Neves' tenure as the agency’s national director.

DST, a Braga‑based conglomerate with about 4,000 employees and annual revenue exceeding €700 million, has been contracted for the new PJ headquarters in Faro and the new headquarters in Braga. Contracts for both projects were signed by Neves. The purpose of the €445,000 payment remains unclear; investigators have not determined whether it was for services or other considerations. The investigation was reported by SOL, TVI and CNN Portugal, which cited company accounts showing DST as Construbarcelos’ second‑largest client between 2022 and 2025. The EU prosecutor’s involvement adds a cross‑border dimension to the scandal surrounding the minister.