Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro faced scrutiny in recent months regarding his personal finances and business dealings,prompting a formal investigation by authorities. The inquiry, centered on the Spinumviva case and reportedly encompassing reviews of family bank records, has now concluded with a determination of no criminal wrongdoing, according to statements released today by the Central Department of investigation and penal Action. Deputy Attorney General Rui Cardoso emphasized the investigation remained within legal bounds and did not rely on compelling evidence from those questioned, a point reiterated by Montenegro himself. The closure of the case offers a measure of political stability for Montenegro’s relatively new administration, which began in April 2024.
Portuguese authorities have closed an investigation into Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, finding no grounds to pursue criminal charges related to his finances. The decision follows scrutiny of Montenegro’s financial dealings, including bank records of himself, his wife, and their children, as well as analysis of financial flows and assets.
“There was no inversion of the burden of proof,” Rui Cardoso, head of the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action, stated in a recent interview. “Nobody was forced to do anything.”
“We invited people to provide documentary evidence, bank statements, and if they wanted to give it to us, I wasn’t forcing them, and nobody was forced to do anything,” Cardoso explained.
The investigation centered on the Spinumviva case, and Montenegro had previously stated the inquiry went further than necessary. Cardoso confirmed Montenegro had offered to provide a statement, and investigators interviewed him during the final stages of the process to clarify remaining questions.
Montenegro had expressed concerns on Wednesday that the investigation had been unusually extensive, involving scrutiny of his family’s financial records and assets. He maintained that no one was compelled to provide information. “There was no inversion of the burden of proof… Nobody was forced to do anything, there was no order, which wouldn’t have been possible to make,” he said.
Cardoso, the Deputy Attorney General leading the investigation, emphasized that authorities did not overstep legal boundaries. “In no way did we overstep or go beyond what was possible,” he stated. “What was done allowed us, within the legal framework, to reach the conviction that led to this decision as quickly as possible,” he added, noting that investigators did not employ more intrusive investigative methods. He also stated that suspicions had been “cleared up securely, with the certainty that allowed this decision to be made.”
When asked if the prime minister was now cleared of suspicion, Cardoso clarified that, regarding the preliminary investigation, there was no basis to open a formal inquiry.
You can view the full interview here.
c/ Lusa
