Interior Minister under fire from CHEGA; caught up in media exposé

Portugal’s ‘star minister’ – the only one who seems to have shone in recent months – Luís Neves, has had a horrible few days, juggling with a ‘media exposé’ and accusations that he ‘threatened’ CHEGA leader, André Ventura.

The former national director of the PJ judicial police has held his ground – dismissing CHEGA’s claims as a manipulation of video footage, while defending himself (somewhat apologetically) against questions over renovation work carried out by a contractor with previous contracts with the police.

With regard to perhaps the worst of the nightmare – CHEGA’s claims – Neves has gone on record to categorically reject them.

Talking to NOW television, and later to Expresso newspaper, Neves insisted that he has never threatened anyone. “That is not who I am”.

The video footage shared by CHEGA over social media claims that Neves can be heard telling Ventura (in the context of a parliamentary debate) “You will pay for all of this.”

“What I said was, ‘You have zero. You’ll see,'” Neves said, questioning why the allegation has only surfaced now, nearly a month after the alleged parliamentary exchange.

A CHEGA official is cited as having told Lusa that party members were alerted immediately after the debate, alleging that Neves had gestured aggressively and threatened Ventura, saying he would “pay” for his comments and that “they would come down on us with full force”.

Ventura has reportedly ‘demanded a public apology’ and is seeking a meeting with President Seguro to discuss the matter.

Meanwhile, the ‘property controversy’, exposed by Nascer do Sol, and later by Correio da Manhã – concerning renovation work at a rural property in Odemira: Nascer do Sol reported that the contractor carrying out the work, Construbarcelos, secured around €1.9 million in public contracts with Portugal’s Judicial Police (PJ) between 2020 and 2025 – a period during which Neves served as the force’s national director.

The minister has acknowledged that the contractor is a personal friend, but denies any ethical or legal wrongdoing.

“We are friends, and I will never deny a friendship with an extraordinary man,” Neves has said.

He added that around 70% of construction work commissioned by the PJ had been awarded before he even knew the contractor personally.

“Knowing what I know today, naturally I would have done things differently, without ever denying the friendship,” he stresses.

According to Neves, the work on the Alentejo property includes a wall, a bathroom and a porch with a water tank, with an estimated value of between €20,000 and €30,000.

He said he has deliberately delayed settling the final bill until the project is completed.

“If I had hired someone else—which perhaps I should have done—the work would probably already be finished. When it is completed, I will naturally settle the costs. There has been absolutely no preferential treatment,” he said, adding that all the bills are still with his accountant.

Neves maintains that his conscience is clear, and insists there has been no favouritism in either the awarding of police contracts, or the later private building work.

But these twin controversies have suddenly ‘intensified pressure on the Interior Minister’ whose albeit brief tenure this far has otherwise been seen as a rare example of a member of government actually getting on with things, without any fuss or drama. Perhaps that is the reason. Certainly, Luís Neves seems to think so.

Source: Correio da Manhã/ SIC Notícias