PJ searches Guarda in case of alleged embezzlement of 40 million euros of community funds

This Tuesday, the Judiciary Police (PJ) carried out 78 search warrants, 31 of which were domestic and 47 non-domestic, across the country as part of an operation related to an alleged embezzlement of around 40 million euros from the European Fund of Regional Development (FEDER).
Operation “Maestro” also covered Guarda, where PJ inspectors also collected “evidence related to strong suspicions of crimes involving fraud in obtaining subsidies, qualified tax fraud, money laundering and abuse of power” with community funds. The investigation is headed by the DCIAP (Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action) in Lisbon, with the investigation being carried out by the National Unit for Combating Corruption of the Judiciary, with the support of the Technical Advisory Center of the Attorney General’s Office. The operation was also developed in the metropolitan area of ​​Lisbon, in the metropolitan area of ​​Porto and in the Aveiro region. «At issue are organized fraud schemes that benefited a group of natural and legal persons, harming the financial interests of the European Union and the Portuguese State, whether in terms of financing through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), or through theft to the taxes owed», adds the PJ in a statement sent to O INTERIOR.
According to the PJ, the modus operandi is allegedly based “on the creation of complex business structures, aimed at assembling contractual justifications, referring to the provision of services and supplies of goods to fraudulently capture community funds within the scope of at least 14 approved operations, mostly within the framework of the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program (POCI), implemented since 2015». With these projects, linked to the textile industry, the suspects have obtained, «so far, the payment of incentives totaling at least 38,938,631.46 euros».
The targets of the searches are businessman and commentator Manuel Serrão, journalist Júlio Magalhães and Nuno Mangas, president of the COMPETE 2030 program – which supports innovation and digitalization of small and medium-sized companies. At the time of writing this edition, there had still been no arrests.
The Judiciary adds that the ongoing investigation also resulted in “strong suspicions of the involvement of employees of public bodies, with violation of their functional and reserve duties, in the streamlining and conformation of procedures related to applications, payment requests and management activity of co-financed projects”. 250 inspectors participated in the “Maestro” operation, 32 experts from the Technological and IT Expertise Unit and 24 experts from the Financial and Accounting Expertise Unit. It also counted on the collaboration of the National Units, Directorate of the North, Directorate of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, Directorate of the Center, Criminal Investigation Departments of Setúbal, Braga, Guarda and Aveiro, in addition to Judicial Magistrates, Magistrates of the Public Ministry and PGR NAT specialists.