Court of Auditors faults PJ management under Luís Neves, European prosecutors probe €2.2 million in contracts

Audit of PJ's 2023 accounts

The Portuguese Court of Auditors (TdC) completed an audit of the Polícia Judiciária's 2023 financial management, issuing a "favorable with reservations" opinion. The report identified 11 reservations, including irregularities in public procurement for fuel supply with Petrogal and travel services with Clube Viajar, both signed in 2023. It also flagged "irregular situations" in credit card use, the absence of a travel and accommodation fund, and the allocation of mobile phones. The audit noted that the PJ used excluded contracting procedures for works with Construbarcelos, a company linked to then-director Luís Neves, and that only five of 17 contracts worth €2.2 million were published on the public procurement portal. The TdC found that in some cases the justification for excluded contracting was "not sufficiently clear and detailed." Despite the findings, the court decided not to impose financial sanctions on Neves or his deputy, Luísa Proença, instead issuing recommendations to strengthen control mechanisms. The audit was only concluded on 17 December 2025 due to delays in document delivery.

European prosecutors open verification process

The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) has launched a "verification process" into contracts between the PJ and Construbarcelos, focusing on possible fraud involving EU funds. The investigation, reported on 4 August 2026, is preliminary and does not involve intrusive measures such as bank record seizures or wiretaps. The EPPO has requested documents from the PJ's current leadership, and director Carlos Cabreiro has met with EPPO representatives. The probe centers on a €4.33 million energy efficiency project for the PJ's Guarda headquarters, financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). Construbarcelos received €973,000 from the PRR for this project, the largest single contract for the company with the PJ. Five other firms also received PRR funds: MQT (€530,000), FXC Construções (€388,000), Encosta (€299,000), Eletro Solução (€287,000), and Variáveis Contínuas (€279,000).

Construbarcelos973,000

MQT - Serviços de Engenharia530,000

FXC Construções388,000

A Encosta - Construções299,000

Eletro Solução287,000

Variáveis Contínuas279,000

Construbarcelos

973000 €

MQT - Serviços de Engenharia

530000 €

FXC Construções

388000 €

A Encosta - Construções

299000 €

Eletro Solução

287000 €

Variáveis Contínuas

279000 €

Data from the article text

Contracts and funding

Between December 2019 and September 2025, the PJ signed 17 contracts with Construbarcelos totaling about €2.2 million for works in Guarda, Évora, and Porto. According to the PJ, only three of these were subject to public tender; the rest used excluded contracting, with the PJ citing security reasons. The PRR-funded project accounts for 43.6% of the total value adjudicated to Construbarcelos. Luís Neves, who became Minister of Internal Administration after leading the PJ, has stated that he only met the company's owner, João Carvalho, in 2023, after many contracts were already in place. He argued that Construbarcelos contracts represented just 8% of the PJ's total €27 million in contracts during that period, and after meeting Carvalho, the share fell to 4%. The PJ confirmed that no further contracts were signed with Construbarcelos after September 2025.

Reactions and context

Neves said he is "fully available to cooperate with the authorities and provide all clarifications" requested. He added,

“All inquiries, investigations, inspections or hearings are always to be welcomed, because they are relevant for the clarification of the truth.”

The EPPO has not confirmed the investigation, stating it does not comment on ongoing cases. Criminal lawyer Rogério Alves explained that a verification process is a preliminary check, often triggered by public information, and does not necessarily indicate new evidence. This investigation is separate from an earlier criminal inquiry by the Portuguese Public Prosecutor's Office into how a trailer with chemical drums seized in a drug operation ended up at a Construbarcelos warehouse.