Massive corruption in Portugal linked to issuing of ‘golden visas’ – several arrests made

Published: November 13, 2014 at 7:31pm

portugal immigration

(Reuters) – Police arrested the head of Portugal’s immigration and border service as part of an investigation into corruption linked to the issuing of so-called “golden visas” to wealthy foreign investors.

The Prosecutor General’s office said several arrests were made and searches carried out in different locations across Portugal as part of the investigation into the visas and other matters on suspicion of corruption, influence peddling and money-laundering.

Link to rest of story below.




19 Comments Comment

    • zita says:

      In Portugal every politic measure every business that involves public money, also envolves corruption.
      We had a bank that in 2008 took 9 000 milions of euros from public money and no one is arrested.
      In 2014 another bank is doing the same, and no one is arrested.
      In Portugal politicians make contrats involving milions of dollars of public money, and the contracts are secret, no one has acess to them. We all know that those contracts are ilegal but no one can take them to justice because they are secret.
      Portugal is one of the most corrupt country in Europe and for the first Time some one is in jail… but belive me… its not for more than a few days.
      The minsiter Paulo Portas that is responsible for the gold visas is untouchable. Is is envolved in a serious case of corruption related to the submarines. The corruptors that payed 30 milions of euros in german are already judged and paying for the crimes, in greece the minister that also bought the submarines to german is in prision for 20 years, and in Portugal no one is arrested, no one knows who receibed the 30 milions of euros brib
      the list of Portugal corruption http://apodrecetuga.blogspot.pt/2011/10/sln-o-buraco-negro-que-tudo-absorve-em.html

  1. White coat says:

    Our citizenship sale scheme has literally been designed for bribery and corruption.

  2. ciccio says:

    Here is the most important quote from the article:

    “The golden visa program was launched by the government in late 2012 during a debt crisis and gave residency permits to non-EU citizens who invested in real estate. It has brought in more than one billion euros in much-needed investment since, mainly from Chinese buyers of property willing to invest more than 500,000 euros ($623,300) in real estate in Portugal.”

    Europe. Now also importing Chinese corruption.

  3. Dave says:

    They needed talent(s) (in the biblical sense).

  4. J. Borg says:

    Looks like we’re going the way of Portugal.

  5. bernie says:

    Hadd ma ghandu jistenna xi haga bhal dan f’pajjizna illum bil-pulizija ikkontrollati mill-Gvern.

  6. Edward says:

    Perhaps this has little to do with the above story, but I thought it was important to share it.

    The haunting poetry of a Chinese factory worker who committed suicide. Washington post.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/11/12/the-haunting-poetry-of-a-chinese-factory-worker-who-committed-suicide/

  7. Gahan says:

    “Portugal has issued golden visas to around 1,500 people, most of them Chinese, as well as citizens of Russia, Brazil, Angola and other countries.”

    Where there is corruption you will inevitably find the involvement of communist and ex-communist country citizens.

  8. Makjavel says:

    Joseph Muscat promised that we will be the best in Europe.

    The Portuguese are giving him a hard time.

  9. AE says:

    Isn’t Barroso Portuguese? I guess this explains why the EU buckled so quickly on the Malta citizenship programme.

  10. Phili B says:

    It cannot and won’t happen here. Not when the whole IIP scheme is managed and guarded by a PM-appointed gang, including the very brother of the Head of the Civil Service, and under the responsibility of the Minister of National Security.

  11. anthony says:

    I can guarantee that no such arrests will ever be made in Malta.

    Because, with Joseph, we are the best in Europe.

    And with Manuel and his personalized police force there will be no need for any arrests.

    As if.

  12. We told you so says:

    We are rapidly heading the same way, and we should hold ourselves to blame for letting this ar– hole get away with it.

    He has destroyed Malta and the reputation it had gained internationally.

    Obviously his road map is a disaster and a total failure.

    • il-widna says:

      That is exactly what has happened.

      The world now knows that a change in government in Malta has meant the reintroduction of a ‘policies’ reminiscent of the corrupt Mintoff regime.

      Of the Pinocchio style of corruption, of il-Fusellu pocketing hundreds of liri for each import license for each consignment, after having elbowed out the real minister from the takings.

      The Lorry Sant environment protection system, protection as in Mafia style protection that is, you give me 1/3 of the land area and I will make sure you get the building permit.

      That’s how it worked during the MLP times. Now we have the digital age. It is MLP V.2.1

  13. Arnold Layne says:

    And these are just visas, mind. In our case its passports and citizenship, so more likely to attract the unscrupulous.

  14. Be-witched says:

    Ouch! The one who came up with this god-awful scheme really but really should be put up against a wall and be shot at dawn.

  15. La Vida says:

    The golden visa scheme is bringing a lot of needed investment into Portugal and helping the country recover from a deep recession. Unfortunately such a scheme will be open to abuse and its reassuring to see it being identified and action taken. But politicians and the like need to keep this in perspective of the benefits of the scheme as a whole.

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