“I never hid and I was never afraid” – Portugal Resident

Interior Minister Luís Neves has delivered an uncompromising defence of his conduct as national director of the Polícia Judiciária, rejecting weeks of allegations, and insisting he has never acted outside the law.

Opening a televised press conference this evening, Neves declared: “I made difficult decisions and always accepted my responsibilities. I was never afraid and I never hid.”

He accused critics of crossing “the limits of decency” by associating his name with drug trafficking and suggesting possible abuse of power, misappropriation of seized property and/ or interference with evidence.

“These are allegations of extreme gravity that call into question three decades of enormous sacrifice, always dedicated to fighting crime,” he said.

Neves showed absolutely no sign of preparing to resign. Asked repeatedly about decisions at the heart of the controversy, he said that if faced with the same circumstances today, he would act in exactly the same way.

The minister accepted personal responsibility for approving the temporary storage of a trailer seized during a major drug investigation on property controlled by building contractor João Carvalho.

The trailer contained thousands of litres of chemicals associated with cocaine production and had to be removed from Maritime Police facilities because of the safety risk it presented.

Neves said the storage arrangement had been proposed by a senior PJ official and denied that any seized property had been diverted or that anyone had received preferential treatment.

“It was my decision,” he said. “There was no other option in the circumstances. It was the decision that best protected the interests of the State. It was good management.”

According to the minister, destroying the material would have cost approximately €150,000. Renting alternative storage would have cost between €3,000 and €4,000 a month, with no suitable warehouse expected to become available for several months.

“This decision saved the State a great deal of money — and (the material was) always kept safely,” he said. “It was an act of extraordinary management.”

The arrangement is now the subject of a criminal investigation, with prosecutors examining possible abuse of power and misappropriation of seized property. Neves promised his full cooperation.

Odemira property belonged to wife’s family

Turning to work carried out at his private property in Odemira, Neves said the land had been in his wife’s family for generations and had been divided through successive inheritances.

He said he had gradually purchased several of the resulting parts of land, and now owned around two-thirds of the property.

All acquisitions had been made at advertised market prices and financed partly through bank borrowing, he said – rejecting suggestions that he had acquired land unusually cheaply.

The relevant loans were disclosed to the Transparency Entity, he added.

Neves said building work began in spring 2024 and took place largely at weekends, with most of the labour carried out by himself and his son.

He insisted that the work did not alter structural walls, or increase the original floor area.

“I did what millions of Portuguese people regularly do in their own homes,” he said, describing the construction of a wooden porch and the paving of a parking area.

‘Swimming pool began as a water tank’

Neves also defended the controversial structure described in media reports as an unlicensed swimming pool.

He said it began as an above-ground water tank but developed into an average-sized family pool after earth was placed around it — something he claimed occurred against his wishes.

During the press conference, the minister displayed aerial images that he said showed a water tank of exactly the same dimensions on the property before the present structure was built.

Neves acknowledged that he had not sought planning permission, saying he considered the works to be minor and had been unaware that the property was in an area subject to special planning restrictions.

He has requested an urgent meeting with Odemira council and promised that anything requiring retrospective authorisation will be regularised.

“If something has to be regularised, it will be,” he said.

Denies benefits from PJ contractor

Neves denied favouring João Carvalho, whose company, Construbarcelos, received a series of contracts from the PJ and later carried out work at the Odemira property.

He said he had employed someone whose work he trusted, but had received no financial advantage.

“I did not save or gain one cent,” he said.

The minister maintained that Construbarcelos had already secured 11 contracts with the PJ before he first met Carvalho in mid-2023. Those agreements represented around 70% of the total value awarded to the company by the PJ up to 2025.

“At that time, I did not know this person,” he stressed.

The largest contract, involving work at the PJ’s Guarda facilities in 2019, had been examined by the Court of Auditors without any irregularity being identified, he added.

Between 2019 and 2025, the PJ awarded construction contracts worth around €27 million. According to figures presented by Neves, Construbarcelos received 8% of that total.

After he met Carvalho, the company accounted for 4% of PJ construction spending, involving work under contracts already in progress.

Neves also stressed that the PJ national director does not prepare specifications, sit on tender juries, answer challenges or recommend which companies receive contracts.

“Those decisions involve dozens of employees,” he said.

Of the 17 contracts awarded to Construbarcelos, nine were made under an excluded-procurement regime covering work whose disclosure could compromise essential State security interests. The PJ used the same regime for 82 of the 232 contracts awarded during the period, Neves said.

Admits omission from assets declaration

The minister also addressed his delayed declaration of income and assets, saying PJ directors had not initially been notified that they were required to submit declarations to the Transparency Entity.

He said the PJ leadership was informed of the requirement only in May 2025.

Neves argued that the declarations presented particular security concerns because they could reveal the home addresses of senior police officials. He and his family had previously lived under protection after receiving threats from organised criminals, he said.

The Transparency Entity rejected those objections in December 2025 – and Neves submitted his declaration on February 16 this year — shortly before becoming interior minister.

He admitted that his initial declaration omitted a company belonging to his wife but denied attempting to conceal it. The company was established to operate tourist accommodation and its existence was already publicly recorded, he said.

After becoming minister, Neves was instructed to submit a replacement declaration to include his wife’s company. He said the amended document was accepted in full before the present controversy began.

Far from conceding errors, Neves used the press conference to present himself as a public servant subjected to an unjust campaign after making difficult but lawful decisions.

His message, delivered repeatedly as journalists continued questioning him, was unequivocal: he has nothing to hide, nobody has been favoured — and he would do it all again.

As he faced numerous questions from journalists, Neves also revealed that he has only ever had one bank account – and that he drives a 15-year old Ford Focus.

If reporters expected a man admitting or apologising for a series of mistakes, they will have been disappointed. This was, this is, a man who is quite convinced that he has done nothing wrong.

source material: Executive Digest