Lisbon, May 8, 2025 (Lusa) — The former chairman of the Board of Directors of Altice Portugal, Alexandre Fonseca, was charged on Thursday in connection with Operation Picoas, his defence team confirmed.

The information that Alexandre Fonseca was questioned this morning by the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Central Department of Criminal Investigation and Action (DCIAP) in Lisbon was reported by SIC Notícias and confirmed by the lawyer of the former Altice Portugal director.

‘He was charged and gave a statement in a proceeding that has now been suspended, to be continued on a date to be determined,’ Rogério Alves told Lusa, referring to further statements on the case at that time.

The Picoas case involves allegations of corruption and document falsification related to decisions by the Altice group that are said to have defrauded the state of more than €100 million, the Public Prosecutor's Office said earlier.

The investigation was made public on 13 July 2023, when Armando Pereira, co-founder of the Altice group, and two others were arrested.

Five days later, Alexandre Fonseca suspended all his duties at the Altice group, where he was co-CEO of Altice Europe and chairman of the board of directors of Altice Portugal and Altice USA.

‘I want to reiterate that, as I am completely unaware of what has been publicly reported in connection with the ongoing proceedings, I will demand clarification of all the facts and thus protect my integrity, good name and my publicly recognised and valued curriculum,’ he said at the time in a post on LinkedIn.

In January 2024, he announced on LinkedIn, Facebook and X that he had reached an agreement with the Altice group to leave the company.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Alexandre Fonseca has been chairman of the Strategic Council for the Digital Economy of CIP - Confederação Empresarial de Portugal (Portuguese Business Confederation) since February 2025.

IB/ADB // ADB.

Lusa