According to TVI24, according to information that has already been confirmed by other television stations, Pinto da Costa’s home is also being searched as part of a large-scale operation by the Ministry of State and Tax Administration, which also targets the headquarters of FC Porto SAD and the residences of football-related entrepreneurs. such as Pedro Pigno and Alexandre Pinto da Costa, son of the president of FC Porto.
According to Sabado, “we can talk about suspicions of fraud, abuse of trust and money laundering in the process that is the result of the operation ‘Red Card’” – the team of the prosecutor Rosario Teixeira will move on to the second part of the said operation, which includes “suspicions about the business of FC Porto “.
The magazine recalls that “one of the businesses of the players that researchers have already seen through the lens is the buying and selling of Éder Militão.”
“The mega-investigation of three trials began three years ago, in the summer of 2018, at the General Directorate of Investigation and Criminal Affairs (DCIAP),” you can read in the article, and “the original goals began with two agents or intermediaries in the opaque million dollar business of the football world, but the investigation quickly reached dozens of targets, including the presidents of Benfica and FC Porto, the sons of two directors, Tiago Vieira and Alexander Pinto da Costa, as well as SAD dragons administrators Fernando Gomes and Adelino Caldeira, as well as various entrepreneurs such as Ernani Vaz Antunes. “
However, CMTV said the suspicions also concern companies linked to television rights and that searches are being carried out in various locations, including the offices of Banco Carregosa (in addition to the aforementioned houses of Pedro Pigno and Alexander Pinto da Costa). ., to the port. SIC Notícias said that contracts with Altice to broadcast FC Porto’s games are at stake.
Recall that Operation Red Card already has four accused: Luis Filipe Vieira, his son Tiago Vieira, businessman Jose Antonio dos Santos and sports agent Bruno Macedo. They are all suspected of crimes related to qualified fraud, aggravated breach of trust, document forgery, money laundering and qualified tax fraud. These are alleged frauds by a business and government leader, Benfica and Novo Banco, worth more than € 100 million.
In July, Sabado already reported that the investigation into Operation Red Card “goes far beyond the business of Luis Filipe Vieira” and that “the Ministry of State and the Revenue Office have been listening and observing Pinto da Costa, Fernando over the past few years. Gomes and the entrepreneur Pedro Pinho, “preoccupied with the” millionaire business. “
According to what can be read on the TVI24 website, “Alexander Pinto da Costa is suspected of receiving the gloves of a millionaire and has not been declared in the tax authorities in the world of football”, but there is a more detailed explanation of the whole case: “We are talking about the transfers of players of FC Porto, the club and Sociedade Anónima Desportiva, chaired by Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, father of Alexander. In addition to transfers, the suspicion also revolves around an estimated 2.5 million in commissions allegedly received in a € 500 million deal to sell the broadcasting rights of the blue-and-white club to Portugal Telecom, now Altice. At the center of suspicion is the triangle between Alexander and entrepreneurs Bruno Macedo and Pedro Pinho, with whom he maintains partnerships and who are viewed by the investigation as his figureheads, so that through them he can allegedly receive a commission on public relations. business for FC Porto. On the telecom operator’s side, senior officials are also at the forefront of an investigation on the suspicion that the gloves were illegally distributed as part of a 2016 deal with PT, in which FC Porto sold television rights until 2027. The $ 500 million deal was mediated. company BM Consulting, owned by Bruno Macedo, and brought in commissions of about 20 million euros. Consequently, according to the investigation, 2.5 million went to Alexandru Pinto da Costa, the son of the president of FC Porto, through Pedro Piño, who was associated with Bruno Macedo. Let us remind you that Pinho is a businessman who was accused by the prosecutor’s office last week of assaulting a TVI reporter after a match with FC Porto. Then the club said that it had nothing to do with the specified manager. As for Bruno Macedo, it should be remembered that he was already arrested last summer for having ties to Luis Filipe Vieira on suspicion that he was also a front man for the then president of Benfica to hide money from him for improperly receiving transfer commissions players. According to prosecutor Rosario Teixeira, who is leading the investigation, in FC Porto’s deal with then-PT, this amount was paid for a specific purpose. So that Alexandre Pinto da Costa could facilitate business with the operator, which was headed by Paulo Neves. As recently reported by Sábado magazine, the transfer of 2.5 million was made after mediation. This case meant that several people were under surveillance for several months, including Pinto da Costa, president of FC Porto. The banking secrets of various suspected stakeholders have also been lifted. ”
