“Nothing to declare” – questions over PM’s failure to register any official gifts since taking office

Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has not declared any official gifts since taking office, despite being publicly presented with at least two items that have attracted attention because of their potential value, according to a report by Correio da Manhã.

The newspaper reports that the Government’s General Secretariat confirms Montenegro has not registered any gift worth €150 or more – the threshold above which declarations are required under the Government’s Code of Conduct.

In a statement quoted by Correio da Manhã, an official source from the General Secretariat said there was “no record of any gift that constitutes, or whose refusal could be interpreted as constituting, a breach of institutional courtesy.”

However, the newspaper identifies at least two public occasions on which Montenegro received gifts that most certainly did breach the threshold.

In April, the prime minister – a supporter of FC Porto – was presented by the club with a commemorative “President of Presidents” football shirt honouring the late Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa.

According to Correio da Manhã, the shirt was sold commercially for €200, while examples later appeared on the secondary market with asking prices of up to €1,200.

Earlier this month, before Portugal’s national football team departed for the FIFA World Cup, Montenegro also received an official Portugal shirt from the Portuguese Football Federation. The retail price of the shirt is €150 before any personalisation, the newspaper said.

Estimated value, not retail price

Responding to questions about the gifts, the General Secretariat said the relevant legal criterion is the estimated value of a gift, rather than its public retail price.

It also noted that the current legal framework does not establish a deadline for reporting gifts.

“For that reason, the absence of a registration for a particular item on a given date does not, in itself, allow any conclusion to be drawn regarding non-compliance with the applicable obligations,” said the Secretariat, according to Correio da Manhã.

Montenegro has served as Portugal’s prime minister since April 2024, and the General Secretariat reiterated to the paper that it has no registered gifts in his name – which is ‘all well and good’ until one considers the:

Contrast with previous office holders

Correio da Manhã notes that Montenegro’s predecessor, António Costa, declared 11 gifts during the first six months after the Government’s Code of Conduct came into force in 2016. Those declarations included a drone and a mobile phone received during an official visit to China.

The newspaper also points to current parliamentary records showing that parliamentary Speaker José Pedro Aguiar-Branco has declared 37 gifts since last June (2025).

Among them was a carved wooden artwork presented by the Angolan government during an official visit to Luanda, which was transferred to the Portuguese Parliament’s collection. Parliamentary records also refer to “various gifts” received during Aguiar-Branco’s visit to Beijing in March 2026.

Luís Montenegro also travelled to China in September 2025 – where he received high-level official hospitality, but no gifts from that visit have been registered with the General Secretariat, according to Correio da Manhã.

Transparency procedures under review

While rejecting suggestions that reporting obligations had been breached, the General Secretariat acknowledges it is responsible for implementing procedures to strengthen and simplify the notification and registration of official gifts in line with best transparency practices.

Portugal’s Government Code of Conduct was introduced following the “Galpgate” controversy, in which three secretaries of state resigned after accepting trips to the Euro 2016 football championship paid for by energy company Galp.

Sources: Correio da Manhã/ Executive Digest