Military, commanders and former commanders of the Portuguese Army are under suspicion for the creation of a criminal association in foreign missions.
At least ten people were arrested in a special operation carried out this Monday by the Judicial Police in Portugal that has uncovered the involvement of the Portuguese military in international networks of drug, diamond, gold and money laundering trafficking.
“A criminal network with international ties is being investigated, which is dedicated to obtaining profits from the smuggling of diamonds and gold, drug trafficking, the exchange of counterfeit currencies and computer crimes with the aim of laundering money,” reported the Judicial Police in a statement.
More than 300 agents of the Judicial Police have participated in this mega-operation for which a hundred search warrants have been issued.
Military, commanders and former commanders of the Portuguese Army are under suspicion for the creation of a criminal association taking advantage of their missions at the United Nations in the Central African Republic (CAR).
The suspects were transporting RCA diamonds, gold and drugs to Europe aboard military planes whose cargo was not checked, according to TVI.
In the case of diamonds, they were then moved by land to Belgium, where they were sold.
In addition, the military involved may have “developed a money laundering scheme” with the purchase of bitcoins.
The government was informed in 2019
The Portuguese Minister of Defense, João Gomes Cravinho, said on Monday that he was informed at the end of 2019 about this drug and diamond trafficking network, with the involvement of two soldiers, but until now he did not know that those involved numbered a dozen.
Gomes Cravinho informed the UN about the case in the first months of 2020, he said in statements collected by local media.
For his part, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, considered today that the scandal does not affect the image of the country.
“It does not affect our international image. If the judicial authorities understand that there are indications that require investigations, these investigations must be carried out. The principle of separation of powers is in force. I have nothing to say about the ongoing investigations,” he said.
In the same vein, the Portuguese president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said that the scandal does not diminish the prestige of the Armed Forces, “on the contrary”, because taking the initiative to investigate isolated cases “only gives them prestige in international terms” .
The investigation is being carried out by the National Unit for the Fight against Corruption of the PJ.
The main headquarters of the operation is Lisbon, but also the north of the country, with searches in cities such as Porto, Bragança or Vila Real. (I)
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