Portuguese police are searching the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party and its former president Rui Rio

The Portuguese Judicial Police (PJ) conducted searches this Wednesday at the headquarters of the opposition leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD, center right) and at the home of its former president Rui Rio due to suspicion that embezzlement and abuse of power of course misuse of party funding.

Competent authorities are investigating “the use of funds of a public nature, in a political-party context, due to the suspicion of the possible commission of criminal acts of embezzlement and abuse of power,” the PJ statement says.

The crimes are the “responsibility of political office holders” and refer to events that began in 2018. 20 recordsfourteen of which at the domicile, five at the party premises and one more at the Official Auditor.

The searches were confirmed by the PSD, which stated in a statement that they were conducted at the national headquarters and district headquarters of the party in Porto and that the investigation refers to “facts dating from the period of 2018 and 2021”.

“The PSD will provide all the cooperation requested by the judicial authorities,” he said.

Searches were also carried out at the home of Rui Rio — the party’s president between 2018 and 2022 — in Porto, who spoke to reporters from the terrace of his home as police carried out the operation.

«I’m quiet“, he said in a statement to the journalist CNN Portugal, with whom he even joked about the situation. According to this chain, in addition to Rio, others are also involved, such as deputy Hugo Carneiro.

The alleged scheme of paying salaries to party workers with funds from the Assembly of the Republic, which should be intended exclusively for advisory positions in representative clubs, would also be under suspicion.

The investigation began in 2020, after internal reports, and it is suspected that thousands of euros per month paid to workers who did not hold positions in the Parliamentbut in the district headquarters and in support of the youth of the party.

The National Anti-Corruption Unit (UNCC) PJ is in charge of the investigation, which was accompanied in action on Wednesday by six judges from the Ministry of Public Affairs and a criminal investigation judge. About 100 inspectors and several computer and financial experts participated in the searches.

“The investigation will continue with a comprehensive examination of the collected evidence,” concludes PJ.