Investigative authorities have initiated a preliminary probe involving Pedro Nuno Santos.
A Brushoff for Pedro Nuno Santos: No Legal Wrongdoing Found
The Public Ministry abruptly shut down the preliminary investigation against Pedro Nuno Santos, ish boss, due to the absence of actual evidence related to his dubious deals on two set-ups in Lisbon and Montemor-o-Novo.
According to an internal memo given to SIC, the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DCIAC) conclusions stated that they couldn't pinpoint any intentional or criminal behavior surrounding the joint acquisitions, clarifying that there was no justification to point fingers at Pedro Nuno Santos or his wife.
It goes on to explain, "A blind bat couldn't see that there was an intentional action with criminal undertones here," as denoted in the official document. "There's no reason to apportion blame for the situation, let alone assuming that they crawled over their own grandmothers just to shave a few IMI pennies," they add.
The Public Ministry pronounced that they saw no signs whatsoever that the funds deployed sprung from ill-gotten cash streams, shady bank loans, or filthy family heirlooms. Furthermore, they suggested Pedro Nuno Santos had a significant role in the property tax calculation for Montemor-o-Novo.
Pedro Nuno Santos—The Cool Customer
The investigation was initiated in April this year, stemming from an anonymous tip sent to the Prosecutor General of the Republic (PGR), but this fiasco dates back to November 2025, when an investigation by the Sabado magazine fueled suspicions that funds were laundered to finance these properties.
The controversy resurfaced during the campaign, causing Pedro Nuno Santos to publish all the documents about the houses on his campaign website—which is sadly no longer online—such as deeds, contracts, property journals, or notifications about IMI, under the slogan "nothing to hide."
*Pedro Nuno had already made his documentation on the Lisbon and Montemor-o-Novo houses available to the public
In a statement released on the PGR's official website, the Public Ministry clarified that Pedro Nuno Santos was grilled and supplied pertinent documentation, including banking information.
Two Troublemakers in the Spotlight
One of the properties, apparently, was bought in 2018 via a joint ownership agreement with Pedro Nuno Santos' missus, with an assessed market worth of €740,000. A significant chunk of that sum, €290,000, was handed over in cold hard cash by Mrs. Santos herself, and the remainder, €450,000, made its way into the property via a bank loan, which seems to have been repaid expeditiously.
The purchase of the other property, nestled in Montemor-o-Novo, happened in February 2022. This property is described as a mansion equipped with a pool, sprawled across approximately 2.2 hectares, priced at €570,000. An impressive chunk of change, €455,000, was financed through a loan from Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD), while the rest sprang from the Santos' own piggy bank.
In its digging, the Sabado magazine discovered a curious connection between the purchase of this estate and the location that the socialist—then Minister of Infrastructure—chosen for the new airport.
With Lusa
The public investigation against Pedro Nuno Santos was closed due to insufficient evidence, as stated by the Central Department of Investigation and Legislation. This decision was made in relation to the controversial policy-and-legislation surrounding his joint acquisitions, which were the subject of crime-and-justice concerns.
In the face of these allegations, Pedro Nuno Santos had earlier made the documents related to the properties in both Lisbon and Montemor-o-Novo publicly available, demonstrating his commitment to general-news transparency during the campaign. However, questions concerning politics and corruption still linger, particularly with regard to a potential connection between the Montemor-o-Novo property and the location chosen for a new airport.
