This Thursday, the Public Ministry is carrying out searches at the premises of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), in an investigation into “public procurement procedures for the supply of personal protective equipment to combat forest fires”.
The Operation Obsequium searches, led by the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DCIAP), carry out “six home search warrants and four search warrants for business facilities and public entities, namely ANEPC facilities”, announced the Public Ministry (MP) in a statement.
Searches also take place in companies and commercial companies in the textile and personal protective equipment sectors, in the homes of directors and account technicians of the entities involved and in accounting offices and specialized suppliers.
According to the MP, crimes of active and passive corruption and economic participation in business are at stake, “as there are signs of illegal favoritism of a competitor in procedures carried out in the period between 2015 and 2023, to the detriment of the Portuguese State”.
Operation Obsequium, in which the GNR Criminal Investigation Directorate collaborates with the MP, involves 48 Guard soldiers and five DCIAP magistrates.
The MP states in the statement that the investigation is subject to judicial secrecy.
ANEPC has already confirmed the carrying out of searches at its facilities in Carnaxide and also states in a statement that it is “collaborating with the authorities and reiterates its full availability to provide the necessary support within the scope of the ongoing investigations”.