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2 clusters · 15 sources · 6 days · First seen · Last updated

Portuguese political controversy over Operação Pacoba

Overview

The Portuguese Ministry of Justice confirmed a budget of approximately 144,456 euros for the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) to destroy 62 drums of Ethyl Acetate and Hexane seized during ‘Operação Pacoba’. The Ministry noted that the PJ lacked the specific budget to execute this destruction under ‘Other specialized works’ without affecting normal services.

Simultaneously, the Inspeção-Geral dos Serviços de Justiça (IGSJ) is conducting an audit of the PJ, with conclusions expected by the end of the year. This follows controversies involving Minister of Internal Administration Luís Neves regarding the handling of seized assets.

The situation escalated into a political dispute when the Chega party requested an urgent parliamentary hearing with the PJ director to address discrepancies regarding the costs and handling of the chemical waste. During proceedings, Minister of Justice Rita Alarcão Júdice denied allegations of dishonesty, clarifying that the information regarding disposal costs was provided by the PJ. She stated that the official budget from the company Ambimed totaled 177,444 euros including VAT, a figure that differs from previous statements regarding the operation’s scope and cost.

Chega leader André Ventura has accused the Minister of Justice of lying to Parliament to protect Minister Neves. Ventura suggested that either the PJ is withholding information or the Ministry of Justice is attempting to cover up misconduct related to the management of the seized materials.

Entities

Luís Neves · Polícia Judiciária · Assembleia da República · Operação Pacoba · Rita Júdice

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Coverage disagrees

Sources make claims that cannot both be true. CLSTR reports the disagreement; it does not decide who is right.

  • "André Ventura accused the Minister of Justice of lying to Parliament to cover for the Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves." www.diarioleiria.pt · www.dn.pt

    vs

    "The Minister of Justice denied that any lies were told regarding the costs of chemical destruction." www.dn.pt · www.diarioleiria.pt

    The Minister of Justice denies that lies were told regarding chemical destruction costs, while André Ventura accuses her of lying to Parliament.

Timeline

  1. 3 days ago

    [POLITICS] 13 sources
    Chega party demands hearing for PJ Director over chemical destruction costs

    The Chega party has demanded an urgent hearing for the head of the Judicial Police following disputes over the reported costs of destroying chemicals seized in Operação Pacoba.

  2. 9 days ago

    [POLITICS] 4 sources
    Portuguese Ministry of Justice addresses PJ chemical destruction and audit

    Portugal's Ministry of Justice confirmed a 144,000 euro budget for destroying chemicals seized in ‘Operação Pacoba’ and expects audit results regarding the Polícia Judiciária by year-end.

Sources

4jewish.com · bvo.nl · cinema.sapo.pt · correiomanha.pt · diarioleiria.pt · dinheirovivo.pt · dn.pt · dnoticias.pt · jornalacores9.pt · noticiasdevilareal.sapo.pt · noticiaslx.pt · observador.pt · rr.pt · sapo.pt · tv.sapo.pt

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history