Fafe, Portugal, Aug. 10, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal's Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, said on Monday that the audit of the Judicial Police (PJ) will serve to dispel doubts and «get everything out in the open», and that this is the only way to restore institutional credibility.
«I believe it would be strange if there were no oversight, if there were no audits aimed at clarifying matters and detecting any irregularities, where applicable, or at verifying the propriety of decisions taken over recent years,» said Luís Montenegro on the sidelines of the opening of the Fafe Citizens' Centre, in the district of Braga.
The prime minister insisted that when doubts arise, they must be dispelled, and that is what the government is doing «with calm, composure and confidence».
«I hope everyone understands that it is precisely by getting to the bottom of all the situations that have come to light that we can restore credibility to our institutions and the life of the country,» he emphasised.
The Ministry for Justice has ordered «an internal assessment» and an audit of the PJ by the Inspectorate-General of Justice Services (IGSJ), following reports concerning the conduct of the current minister for internal affairs, Luís Neves, whilst he was head of the PJ police force.
At issue are, in particular, building work carried out on a property owned by Luís Neves in the Alentejo by a company that had been contracted by the PJ, and the discovery, at the same Construbarcelos site, of a trailer that had been seized as part of an operation against drug trafficking.
Today, the minister for justice assured that the decision to order an audit of the PJ was aimed solely at «protecting the institution», rejecting the notion that one minister should be investigating another.
Luís Montenegro, for his part, maintained that the decision to carry out the audit was discussed and agreed upon between himself and the other ministers in the Government, each within their respective sectors.
Rejecting the idea that the audit might undermine the PJ's credibility, the prime minister called for a more consensus-based approach.
«Honestly, I believe we are at a stage in our lives as a community where we should view matters in a slightly more consensus-based spirit,» he emphasised.
According to a source at the PJ, the audit will focus on contracts and public works carried out between 1 January 2018 and 31 July 2026, a period covering the end of former National Director Almeida Rodrigues's mandate, the entirety of Luís Neves's tenure and the first few months of the current director, Carlos Cabreiro's, mandate.
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