Portugal justice minister denies lying over 144,000 euro chemical disposal budget

Parliamentary hearing on chemical disposal

Minister of Justice Rita Alarcão Júdice addressed the parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees on 9 September 2026. The hearing, convened at the request of the Chega party, focused on conflicting government accounts regarding a 144,000 euro budget for destroying chemicals seized during Operation Pacoba. Júdice rejected claims of dishonesty regarding previous discrepancies between statements from the executive and police reports. She explained that the budget encompassed a larger volume of materials from the operation rather than solely the contents of a single seized trailer.

Addressing lawmakers during the session, she maintained that the initial contradiction stemmed from inaccurate preliminary information provided by the police rather than deceit.

“There was no lie whatsoever, nobody lied.”

Conflicting accounts and internal inquiries

The dispute followed statements from the Ministry of Justice claiming that the 144,000 euro estimate covered multiple separate cases, which contradicted earlier statements by Minister of Internal Administration Luís Neves. Neves, who previously served as national director of the Polícia Judiciária, stated on 8 September 2026 that the sum applied solely to destroying chemicals from Operation Pacoba. Júdice clarified that while all materials in the budget belonged to Operation Pacoba, the quantity exceeded what had been loaded on the transport trailer. She instructed current PJ national director Carlos Cabreiro to personally verify every detail of the dossier and incorporate the findings into an existing internal inquiry.

Contractor ties and criminal investigations

The parliamentary hearing addressed wider scrutiny surrounding Neves and his management of seized assets during his tenure leading the police agency. Neves had authorized transferring the trailer containing chemical drums used in narcotics processing to Construbarcelos, a company owned by contractor João Carvalho. Carvalho, a personal friend of Neves, previously secured 17 public work contracts with the police agency and performed private renovation work on Neves' property in Odemira. Portugal's Public Prosecution has opened a criminal inquiry into the trailer transfer, representing one of three active investigations involving Neves. In addition to the internal police inquiry ordered by Cabreiro, the Inspectorate-General of Justice Services is conducting an external audit scheduled to conclude by late 2026.

Opposition reactions and political dispute

Chega party president André Ventura rejected the explanations offered by the justice minister during a press briefing at the Assembleia da República following the hearing. Ventura argued that the minister presented revised versions of the disposal costs to shield Neves from political and legal fallout. Chega deputy Cristina Rodrigues also asked about the handling of four separate trailers referenced during police operations. Ventura told reporters that the government needed to account for the exact location of all seized chemicals and narcotics.

Speaking to journalists in parliament, Ventura asserted that the contradictions pointed to political interference.

“It is more reasonable to suspect that the Minister of Justice lied to parliament to cover for her colleague in Internal Administration than to suspect that the PJ lied to the Minister of Justice.”