Head of PJ Carlos Cabreiro accused of false statements and illegal wiretapping in Football Leaks case
Carlos Cabreiro, national director of the PJ, has been the subject of a criminal complaint for abuse of power and false statements in court in the Football Leaks case.
Criminal complaint against PJ director over illegal wiretapping and perjury in court
The national director of the Judicial Police (PJ), Carlos Cabreiro, is suspected of abuse of power and of making false statements in court in connection with the Football Leaks case, according to Google News PT — Crime (pt) based on information reported by Expresso on Thursday.
The criminal complaint was sent to the Attorney General by David Freitas, a police coordinator with more than 30 years of experience, currently assigned to the department responsible for wiretapping and surveillance.
Accusations: perjury in court and illegal wiretapping
Cabreiro is accused of falsely stating in court that no environmental wiretaps were carried out during the investigation into hacker Rui Pinto. Additionally, he is being charged with abuse of power for allegedly ordering a wiretap that was expressly prohibited by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The Attorney General's Office confirmed that it had received the complaint and referred the case to the Investigation and Criminal Action Department in Lisbon.
Justice Minister Rita Alarcão Júdice responded through her office: "The Justice Minister has no comments to make, merely reiterating that she maintains confidence in the National Director of the Judicial Police."
The 2015 meeting and the identification of Rui Pinto
According to the complaint sent to the Attorney General, the matter involves recordings authorised by Carlos Cabreiro in 2015, carried out on the day when Aníbal Pinto — a defendant and later convicted in the Football Leaks process — met with Nélio Lucas, owner of Doyen, and with lawyer Pedro Henriques, in a service area in Oeiras.
This meeting is said to have been crucial in enabling the PJ to identify Rui Pinto, who in September 2023 was sentenced to four years in prison with the sentence suspended, for a crime of attempted extortion, three of aggravated breach of correspondence and five of unlawful access.
The Football Leaks case, tried in 2023, involved unauthorised access and breach of correspondence of entities including Sporting, Doyen, the law firm PLMJ, the Portuguese Football Federation and the Attorney General's Office itself.
Second complaint: Aníbal Pinto takes action against PJ inspectors
Following the discovery of internal PJ documents confirming that the wiretaps were carried out — specifically the Mission Order and the External Diligence Report — Aníbal Pinto himself filed a complaint to the Attorney General against Carlos Cabreiro and against inspectors José Amador, Hugo Monteiro and Rogério Bravo, who were responsible for the investigation, as well as against "all other officials" of the PJ involved in the wiretapping.
The lawyer's complaint points to possible crimes of denial of justice and misconduct, perjury, forgery or counterfeiting of documents, destruction or removal of documents, technical notation and abuse of power.
Request for external inspection of the PJ
In a submission addressed to the Justice Minister on the same matter, Aníbal Pinto requested that Rita Alarcão Júdice open "an urgent external inspection, inquiry or investigation into the PJ, through the General Inspectorate of Justice Services, with immediate preservation of evidence, full investigation of functional and disciplinary responsibilities and notification to the Public Prosecutor's Office of any facts liable to criminal responsibility that may be detected".
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)