The Judicial Police are on a roll as their officers today made early morning searches at tax offices, offices of the immigration service SEF and even at the hallowed offices of the Finance Ministry.
The PJ are following the foul smell of corruption in the Golden Visa case which, despite 11 arrests last Autumn and some popular jailings, has yet to come to court nor do the public know the details of who bribed who and when.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the police had been despatched today to 34 locations to gather more evidence in a case looking to prove “traffic of influence, corruption, embezzlement and money laundering.”
As well as 80 Judicial Police officers, there were six public prosecutors, and 15 tax inspectors involved in today’s searches which were conducted at government offices and, intriguingly, some company premises and private addresses.
A new Middle Eastern connection has added an exotic twist with the image of sick Libyans queuing for fast-tracked Golden Visas so as to enter Portugal for private medical treatment has given the press something to hang on to in a case notable for its lack of leaks.
In 2013 Portugal and Libya did sign an agreement for hundreds of Libyans to receive medical treatment in Portugal and for Libyan doctors and nurses to train in Portugal. It is not clear whether or why Golden Visas have been issued to Libyans unless they want to stay on after treatment to have access to Europe with ‘no questions asked.’
What is certain is that those in charge of dealing with wealthy foreigners in the Golden Visa system will have found a way of improving their personal bottom line. Much of the blame can be laid at the feet of deputy PM Paulo Portas whose baby this scheme was as on launch there were so many areas easily exploited for personal gain, it is almost criminal to prosecute those who have enriched themselves.
Many now are keen to see the Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs, Paulo ‘nothing to with me mate’ Nuncio be plucked from his gilded cage and face charges. Nuncio's office was raided this morning but he has an enviable sense of self-preservation and so far has managed to cover his rear in this case and the current VIP Taxpayers List case.
However he may be dragged into the ‘Golden Visa Libyan health care’ aspect as there seems to be a question over VAT and the tax treatment of the Portuguese company Octapharma that set up the healthcare deal.
Police phone taps recorded a call to Paulo Nuncio’s office asking for exemption from VAT for a company involved in the Libyan deal run by Paulo Lalanda de Castro of Octapharma and Carlos Silva Santos Silva, Sócrates friend and informal banker.
Octapharma readers will recall is where former PM Sócrates was a 'consulatant' but was fired after he had been jailed pending charges.
