Court blocked PJ's operational use of assets seized from "Xuxas" by Luís Neves
A 2022 ruling from the Central Criminal Investigation Court denied the PJ operational use of dozens of assets seized from drug trafficker Rúben Oliveira, known as "Xuxas".
2022 judicial ruling prevented PJ from using assets seized from convicted trafficker
According to Google News PT — Crime, a ruling from the Central Criminal Investigation Court in Lisbon, dated 2022, reportedly rejected the decision of Luís Neves, then director of the Judicial Police (PJ), to allocate for operational use dozens of assets confiscated from drug trafficker Rúben Oliveira, known as "Xuxas". The information was disclosed by TVI/CNN Portugal and the newspaper Nascer do Sol.
The assets in question were removed from Oliveira's residence. Oliveira was sentenced to 20 years in prison at first instance for drug trafficking and is still awaiting the outcome of his appeal. The collection includes televisions—some valued at 17,000 euros—gym equipment, sofas and chairs, totalling almost three dozen items.
In response to questions raised, the PJ stated it could not confirm whether or not it was notified of the ruling, claiming it no longer had access to the case file since the closure of PJ investigations. However, the police added that it continues to use the assets "in various units of this police force".
> "Since we no longer have access to the case file, from the time when PJ investigations were finalised, we are unable to answer this question objectively at this time."
Luís Neves, subsequently appointed Minister of Internal Administration, is due to be heard by the Constitutional Affairs Committee next Tuesday at 10:00, ahead of the no-confidence motion scheduled for 15:00.
The minister has faced weeks of political pressure. The controversy began with reports in Nascer do Sol about suspected irregularities in private construction work on a property in Odemira: a swimming pool was reportedly built by a contractor close to Neves, João Carvalho, owner of Construbarcelos, who won contract awards 17 times for construction work at the PJ.
The same contractor also received custody of a trailer seized by the PJ in "Operation Pacoba", against drug trafficking, which contained containers with chemicals inside. Neves justified that the products were not destroyed because costs were high and the PJ did not have funds for this. The case led the Public Prosecutor's Office to open an investigation, which ruled out the possibility of a parallel inquiry process within the framework of audits ordered by the Ministry of Justice.
There are also doubts about the failure to comply with the obligation to submit asset declarations to the Transparency Entity and to the Constitutional Court during the period when Neves headed the PJ.
More recently, it was revealed that the minister drives a vehicle judicially seized in the same process that convicted "Xuxas". Neves defended the legality of the situation in statements made in Madeira during a PSP ceremony held on Tuesday.
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)