Bank headquarters, an association, private homes and corporate headquarters are being searched by the Judicial Police. The operation is being carried out by the national anti-corruption unit on Thursday and 15 search warrants are being fulfilled. Banco Montepio is the most targeted institution in these searches. The bank ensures that it is collaborating with the authorities.
According to DN, the searches carried out in addition to involving several banking institutions, also focused on the headquarters of the Mutualista Montepio Association, in households (namely the home of Tomás Correia, who was until December 2019 president of the Mutualista Montepio Association) and in corporate headquarters. . Montepio bank is the main target of the investigation.
“Several steps are being taken on Thursday to comply with 15 (fifteen) search and seizure warrants, at Banking Institutions, at the registered office of an association, at domiciles and at corporate headquarters”, says press release issued by the Public Prosecution Service. “Qualified fraud, money laundering and qualified tax fraud” investigations are under investigation.
The searches “focus on a set of clients of financial institutions and their entities, with the purpose of collecting evidence regarding banking transactions performed by clients between 2011 and 2014, as well as documentation related to these operations”.
Banco Montepio has already confirmed that it is being searched. “Banco Montepio reports that there were searches on Thursday, January 16, at the premises. It is further informed that, according to the content of the communiqué published by the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), these are due diligence regarding customer operations, which relate to facts that occurred between 2011 and 2014. The institution scrupulously complies with its duties of collaboration with the authorities. ”
Judges, officials of the Tax Authority and Banco de Portugal are also following these searches, according to the press release.
(In update)
