A succession of judicial investigations, formal charges by the Public Prosecutor's Office and reports of political favoritism have placed the management of Vila Nova de Gaia and its municipal companies under intense media and judicial attention. Among the cases under analysis are alleged schemes of procurement manipulation at the municipal company Águas de Gaia, which are believed to have defrauded the public coffers by millions of euros, alongside issues related to academic qualifications and competitive selection procedures that are suspected of being rigged for partisan purposes at the municipality.
Operation "Águas Turvas" (Murky Waters), conducted by the Judicial Police and the Regional Department of Criminal Investigation and Prosecution of Porto, investigates an alleged systematic scheme of public procurement manipulation at Águas de Gaia, E.M., with estimated damages of around eight million euros. Contractor António Santos Mota is believed to have secured the adjudication of 81 contracts for construction works and services, reaching billing of over 8.5 million euros, with compensation that included cash delivered during annual dinners in Matosinhos. The former director of Water and Supply, José António Martins, is suspected of having created the company Axialcloud to conceal payments. Both were placed in preventive detention, with judicial suspension of duties also applied to other executives.
Miguel Lemos Rodrigues, former chairman of the board of Águas de Gaia, was formally charged in September 2025 by the Public Prosecutor's Office with the crimes of corruption, abuse of power, participation in business and influence peddling, in coordinated action with businessmen in the communication sector through direct award procedures, splitting of expenses and simulation of competition. The Public Prosecutor's Office also censured the delay of more than 30 days by the then mayor, Eduardo Vítor Rodrigues, in complying with a judicial order to remove the administrator.
At the Municipal Council itself, the municipal director of Housing, Paulo Ferreira do Amaral, was removed after the University of Porto and ICBAS reported that there were no records of his alleged degree, with the individual claiming that the documentation disappeared in a fire. The opposition also reported irregularities in the selection of executives, including the appointment of the local coordinator of Iniciativa Liberal, Ricardo Carvalho, as director of Social Policies through a jury that included a national councilor of the PSD, and the alteration of the classification of Abraão Silva, a local PSD official, after the interview test. These issues intersect with Operation Babel, focused on the alleged manipulation of urban licensing worth 300 million euros, and with investigations against Eduardo Vítor Rodrigues for suspicions of payments to Global Media to condition editorial content in the JN and TSF publications.
