Jornal de Leiria – Suspicions of environmental crimes also motivate searches in Leiria

Leiria is one of six locations in the country where searches are taking place at companies and public entities related to pollution crimes in the Ferreira River, in Paços de Ferreira.

In a statement, the Porto Regional Attorney General’s Office (PGR) reports on the execution of 20 home and non-home search warrants for commercial companies in the territorial areas of the districts of Leiria, Porto Este, Porto, Braga, Coimbra, Guarda, and Lisbon. A local authority is also involved in this process, which, according to Jornal de Notícias, is the Chamber of Paços de Ferreira.

According to that note, the issue is an investigation related to “a possible crime of pollution in the Ferreira River”, which led to the execution of search warrants, carried out by the GNR, through its Criminal Investigation (IC) and Nature Protection structures. and the Environment (SEPNA), and by the General Inspectorate of Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Spatial Planning (IGAMAOT), the functionary of the Public Prosecutor’s Office responsible for the investigation.

The investigations, which also include the execution of decisions that determined computer searches and seizures, involve around 100 GNR soldiers and 19 IGAMAOT inspectors, as well as the public prosecutor responsible for the investigation.

In that statement, the Porto Regional PGR also informs that the investigation began around three years ago and “the ongoing measures are intended to obtain evidence in physical locations and computer systems referenced in the records as suspected of containing it”.