PJ Director Targeted by Complaint to Public Prosecutor's Office over Football Leaks Wiretaps
The Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed it had received a complaint against Carlos Cabreiro, director of the PJ, for alleged false testimony regarding wiretaps in the Football Leaks investigation.
Justice Minister Reaffirms Confidence in Carlos Cabreiro Following Complaint to Public Prosecutor's Office
The Public Prosecutor's Office (PGR) received a complaint against Carlos Cabreiro, national director of the Judicial Police (PJ), relating to wiretaps carried out in connection with the Football Leaks investigation, the institution confirmed this Thursday. According to Correio da Manhã, the complaint was forwarded to the Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP) in Lisbon.
The complaint, reported by NOW television channel and newspaper Expresso, alleges that wiretaps were carried out without judicial authorisation. The controversy centres on statements made by Cabreiro in court during a 2023 trial, in which the PJ director claimed that no wiretaps had been conducted in the field.
The Complaint and the Facts at Issue
According to the contents of the complaint sent to the PGR, the recordings in question were authorised by Carlos Cabreiro in 2015, on the day when Aníbal Pinto — a defendant who was subsequently convicted in the Football Leaks investigation — met with Nélio Lucas, owner of the Doyen investment fund, and lawyer Pedro Henriques at a service area in Oeiras.
That meeting proved to be decisive in the course of the investigation: it enabled the PJ to identify Rui Pinto, the central figure in the Football Leaks case. Pinto was subsequently sentenced in September 2023 to four years' imprisonment with the sentence suspended, for one attempted extortion offence, three counts of aggravated breach of privacy and five counts of unauthorised access.
The Football Leaks investigation, tried in 2023, involved cases of unauthorised access and breach of privacy of various entities, including Sporting Clube de Portugal, the Doyen fund, law firm PLMJ, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) and the PGR itself.
Government Maintains Position of Confidence
When asked by news agency Lusa whether the news undermined the Government's confidence in Cabreiro and whether Cabreiro's continuation in the position was in question, the office of Justice Minister Rita Alarcão Júdice responded briefly: "The Justice Minister has no comments to make, merely reiterating that she maintains confidence in the National Director of the Judicial Police."
The PGR, for its part, merely confirmed receipt of the complaint and its forwarding to DIAP in Lisbon, without offering further observations on its contents or on any potential procedural developments.
Source: Correio da Manhã