Portuguese police chief Carlos Cabreiro faces criminal complaint over Football Leaks wiretaps
Portugal's prosecutor general has forwarded a criminal complaint against Polícia Judiciária national director Carlos Cabreiro to Lisbon prosecutors over alleged illegal surveillance in 2015.
Allegations of unauthorized surveillance
Portugal's Prosecutor General's Office (PGR) received a criminal complaint targeting Carlos Cabreiro, the national director of the Polícia Judiciária (PJ). The complaint, filed by PJ coordinator David Freitas, accuses Cabreiro of abuse of power and making false statements during the 2023 Football Leaks trial. Freitas, an investigator with over 30 years of experience who is assigned to the PJ technology support and prevention unit (UPAT), claims Cabreiro ordered an environmental wiretap that had been prohibited by the Public Prosecution. The filing alleges that Cabreiro told the court during the trial that no field wiretaps were conducted during the investigation into hacker Rui Pinto. The PGR forwarded the complaint to the Lisbon Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DIAP).
- PJ investigators record an Oeiras meeting between Aníbal Pinto, Nélio Lucas, and Pedro Henriques
- Lisbon court sentences Rui Pinto to a four-year suspended term at the Football Leaks trial
- Carlos Cabreiro takes office as national director of the Polícia Judiciária
- Prosecutor General's Office refers criminal complaint against Cabreiro to Lisbon prosecutors
The 2015 Oeiras meeting and court findings
The allegations trace back to an October 2015 meeting at a highway service area in Oeiras. At the location, lawyer Aníbal Pinto, who was representing Rui Pinto at the time, met with Doyen Sports owner Nélio Lucas and lawyer Pedro Henriques. According to the complaint, Cabreiro authorized audio recordings of the meeting without judicial authorization. The intelligence gathered during that operation proved decisive in identifying Rui Pinto as the author of the leaks. In September 2023, the court handed Rui Pinto a four-year suspended prison sentence for attempted extortion, aggravated correspondence violation, and illegitimate access.
- Illegitimate access
- 5 counts
- Aggravated correspondence violation
- 3 counts
- Attempted extortion
- 1 counts
Defense response and legal filings
Cabreiro, who assumed leadership of the PJ in April following the departure of Luís Neves, denied all accusations through the agency's communication office. The PJ stated that the director stands by all testimony given during the judicial proceedings.
Carlos Cabreiro maintains all statements made in court, not having made any statement that does not correspond to the truth.
Following the emergence of internal PJ records, including a mission order and an external diligence report, Aníbal Pinto filed a separate complaint with the PGR. His filing targets Cabreiro alongside inspectors José Amador, Hugo Monteiro, Rogério Bravo, and other participating officers, arguing that the internal records contradict sworn testimony regarding the absence of audio recordings.
Political backing from the Ministry of Justice
The Portuguese Ministry of Justice addressed the complaint shortly after the prosecutor general referred the file to Lisbon prosecutors. A spokesperson for Justice Minister Rita Alarcão Júdice stated that the ministry had no formal comments on the ongoing matter beyond expressing continued institutional confidence in the PJ leadership.
The Minister of Justice has no comments to make, merely reiterating that she maintains confidence in the National Director of the Polícia Judiciária.
Freitas confirmed that the matter is under active investigation. Cabreiro remains in his post as Lisbon DIAP reviews the complaints regarding the surveillance operations conducted during the cybercrime investigation.
