The director general of the Aliens and Borders Service, the president of the Institute of Registries and Notaries and the former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Justice, three of the 11 detainees under investigation in 'Operation Labyrinth' investigating allegations of favoritism and corruption in the Golden Visa programme, are being held in prison.
The order from the Central Criminal Court came at the end of four days of interrogations conducted by the tireless judge, Carlos Alexandre.
Manuel Jarmela Palos, until recently the director of the Aliens and Borders Service, is on remand but may be allowed home on house arrest with an electronic bracelet and not allowed any contact with former colleagues, the police or the judiciary.
Remand followed by possible house arrest was ordered for the former Secretary-general of the Ministry of Justice, Maria Antónia Anes.
António Figueiredo, until recently the president of the Institute of Registries and Notaries, and Chinese businessman Zhu Xiaodong are to be held in prison on remand with no alternatives offered.
Jaime Gomes, managing partner of the firm and JMF Projects and Business is also in custody but later can be released into home arrest with an electronic bracelet.
Four other employees of the Institute of Registries and Notaries, Paulo Eliseu, Paulo Vieira, José Manuel Gonçalves e Abílio Silva have been suspended from duty, not allowed to travel abroad, are under house arrest with electronic bracelets and are not allowed contact with former colleagues or other agencies involved.
Carlos Alexandre has made an excellent start and seems clear who is likely to try and influence others to get stories straight in an operation that saw upwards of 200 police officers make the 11 arrests last Thursday.
Unafraid of ordering remand for some high level suspects he is to be congratulated for starting as he means to finish.
