Ventura asks for a veto

André Ventura, the Chega leader, told reporters in Brussels on 16 October 2026 that he will ask President António José Seguro not to promulgate the new Tribunal de Contas (TdC) law if parliament confirms its approval. He said the reform would benefit Minister of Internal Administration Luís Neves and called it an open bar for corruption. Ventura argued that the rules would clear Neves, in practice, of all the financial infractions attributed to him while he ran the Polícia Judiciária (PJ). He added that contracts below eight million euros would pass without any TdC control, and he said the proposal amounted to legislating for one's own benefit.

“I wanted to appeal to the President of the Republic that, even if the law is approved in the Assembly of the Republic, he does not promulgate this legislation.”

Ventura also called the measure a direct attack on the balance of institutions in harsher terms, and he named the minister directly in his remarks to journalists in Brussels, where he also met leaders of the Patriots for Europe group that his party sits with in the European Parliament.

What the new law changes

The law exempts certain public contracts from prior visa review by the TdC, but sources give different ceilings for that exemption. Diário de Notícias reports 7.5 million euros, SIC Notícias reports 75 million euros, and Ventura cited eight million euros. The law also limits financial sanctions against public managers to cases of intent or gross negligence, removing punishment for conduct considered merely negligent.

SIC Notícias reports that parliament approved the law in the week of 12 October 2026, with Chega voting against and the Socialists, the liberals and Juntos pelo Povo abstaining. Público reported that the Tribunal de Contas, the National Anti-Corruption Mechanism and the Superior Council of the Magistracy spoke against the measure. An expert contacted by Expresso said that open proceedings not yet final would fall under the new law, which would leave cases against officials with non-serious charges without a basis.

“It is a direct affront to the separation of powers and a green card for corruption, and in this case there is one very specific interested party, Luís Neves.”

The case behind the dispute

Público reported that the new rules could oblige the TdC to clear Neves of alleged financial infractions tied to spending in 2023, when he led the PJ. The case involves trips to Brazil for inspectors of the National Counter-Terrorism Unit, worth 14,300 euros, which the Ministério Público says were arranged without the required budget procedures. Expresso reported that the court had demanded a payment of a fine of about 2,500 euros in the matter. According to the Ministério Público, the expenses lacked prior budget entry, prior availability of funds and a formal commitment, which in its view broke the law and undermined budget transparency.

Government rejects the reading and what comes next

The Ministry of State Reform called the interpretation "factually false" in a statement, saying that the proposal "does not exonerate anyone" and that judges decide the degree of fault in each case. The government says the proposal was drafted by academics and submitted in January, before Neves took office as minister on 23 February. Ventura said he intends to call former MAI secretary-general Ricardo Carrilho to testify before the parliamentary inquiry commission into Neves's conduct. He urged the PS and the PSD to join Chega in rejecting the law at the specialty vote, which falls in the week of 19 October 2026.