Chega seeks dismissal of minister Luís Neves over seized police sports car

Seized vehicle controversy

Media reports on 21 August 2026 revealed that Internal Administration Minister Luís Neves has been driving and keeping at home a sports car seized by the Judiciary Police (PJ). Neves previously utilized the same confiscated vehicle during his tenure as national director of the PJ. The reports by Nascer do Sol and TVI/CNN indicated that Neves drives the sports car without an escort, despite having access to high-end official vehicles, two drivers, and four security officers at the ministry. When addressing the reporting, Neves stated that the vehicle was assigned through a legally authorized commodatum loan agreement. He maintained that the arrangement allows for greater operational responsiveness while reducing state expenditure, though previous statements from his 29 July 2026 press conference claimed he only owned a 15-year-old family car.

Parliamentary resolution and dismissal calls

Following the revelations, Chega delivered a draft resolution to the Assembly of the Republic recommending that Prime Minister Luís Montenegro ask President António José Seguro to dismiss Neves. Chega leader André Ventura accused Montenegro of failing to recognize the minister's untenable position, describing Neves as an official acting outside legal standards.

This discredits and completely kills the sustainability of the Government.

Ventura stated that the resolution aims to protect the prestige of state institutions ahead of a parliamentary committee of inquiry set to investigate Neves's administrative actions once parliament resumes sessions.

Reactions from opposition parties

Speaking in Terras de Bouro, Socialist Party Secretary-General José Luís Carneiro declined to demand the minister's resignation directly, arguing that ensuring ministerial integrity remains Montenegro's responsibility. However, Carneiro warned that using public assets for personal purposes risks legal consequences.

If there is no good explanation, we could be facing a crime of embezzlement of use.

Carneiro also criticized the government for discarding long-standing regime agreements with the PS regarding intelligence agency leadership selections. Meanwhile, Portuguese Communist Party leader Paulo Raimundo argued at the Porto Book Fair that Neves's situation reflects broader governance troubles across the PSD/CDS-PP coalition, citing controversies surrounding the Prime Minister, the Infrastructure Minister, and the Health Minister.

It is another episode that, I would say, no longer holds only Luís Neves accountable, it holds the entire government accountable.

Accumulated scrutiny over PJ tenure

The vehicle dispute follows multiple controversies stemming from Neves's leadership of the PJ, which began with his appointment in 2018. A 2023 audit by the Court of Auditors cited legal infractions in PJ fuel contracts, travel expenses, and corporate credit card usage. Opposition parties have also scrutinized contracts awarded to Construbarcelos, a company run by an acquaintance of Neves, alongside renovation works on an Odemira rural property owned by his wife's business. Further scrutiny centres on a trailer seized during the anti-narcotics Operation Pacoba and left with Construbarcelos, challenging Neves's claim that disposing of on-board chemicals required 150,000 euros. Chega also pointed out that Neves submitted his mandatory public asset declaration in February 2026, just one week before entering government.