The Ministry of Justice confirmed the budget of approximately 144 thousand euros allocated to the Judicial Police for the destruction of chemicals seized in 'Operation Pacoba', clarifying that the 62 seized drums, with a capacity of 200 liters each, contained Ethyl Acetate and Hexane. The amount of 144,456.93 euros, VAT included, was presented by the company AMBIMED - Gestão Ambiental Lda in 2025, and the PJ did not have this amount in its budget without compromising its normal activity.
The executive responded to questions from the Chega parliamentary group, explaining that three other companies were consulted in 2026 for the destruction of the products: Veolia Portugal, ECODEAL - Gestão Integral de Resíduos Industriais and EGEO - Tecnologia e Ambiente SA. The Ministry of Justice further clarified that the PJ's budget does not have a specific allocation for the destruction of seized chemicals or dangerous products, with this expense being classified under the 'Other specialized works' category, subject to budget constraints.
Luís Neves, current Minister of Internal Administration and former national director of the PJ, is one of the central figures in this controversy. At the July press conference, Neves stated that the PJ had received a budget of 150 thousand euros for the destruction of the chemicals. By his decision, the trailer with the seized chemicals was handed over to contractor João Carvalho from Barcelos, a personal friend of Neves who won 17 contracts at the PJ and was hired by Neves for construction work on his property in Odemira.
The Ministry of Justice stated that there is an ongoing internal process to determine why the destruction authorization was not executed immediately. The trailer case is currently the subject of a criminal investigation by the Public Prosecutor's Office, one of three involving Luís Neves, as confirmed by the Attorney General. There are also two other cases involving the seizure of similar products, in smaller quantities, which are awaiting the conclusion of the acquisition processes for destruction.
