Altice wanted to do business with a defendant company at ‘Operation Picoas’

Armando Pereira and Hernâni Vaz Antunes, the main defendants of the inquiry known as ‘Operation Picoas’ have requested the Attorney General to set a definitive date for the end of the investigation that has lasted since 2018. The request is made when the period of six months given in October for the end of the inquiry is about to end without, according to the arguments of the defendants, any due diligence-nor the diligence-nor the inquiry-nor the inquiry the ones themselves asked.

In the request submitted together by the defenses of the two defendants, to which the Sunrise He had access, lawyers Rui Patrício and Magalhães e Silva begin by recalling that following the request for procedural acceleration presented on October 21, 2024, the Deputy Attorney General ordered the attorney Rosario Teixeira to end the process within six months. This deadline could also be reevaluated « Based on the steps performed in the meantime and those that, after such a period, are still missing. » The Vice-PGR also stressed that the investigation has taken place since 2018 and that « To this extent, considering the time elapsed since its inception, in the name of a good and timely administration of justice, priority should be granted to the present investigation. »

However, according to the lawyers, this determination will not have been fulfilled. « As much as it is known to the defendants, more than a year and a half after the searches that took place on July 13, 2023, only five witnesses were inquired – and a few more than once ». Rui Patrício and Magalhães e Silva also recall that at the beginning of the year Hernani Vaz Antunes requested, in addition to information about the «Announced Internal Audit of Altice» – which although it was completed in late 2023 was never a process joint – « The provision of declarations of five people who have held or perform high positions » In the Altice group: Patrick Drahi, David Drahi, Malo Corbin, Jéremim Suire and the current CEO of Altice Portugal, Ana Figueiredo.

From the perspective of the defense, these inquiries could clarify «the structure of governance and control of the group and the member societies, as well as about their internal and external control mechanisms, with special focus on the compliance». They never occurred.

Unleashed in July 2023, Operation Picoas investigates the «Decision addict of the Altice Group in hiring, with harmful practices of the companies’ own companies and the competition » that point to private corruption in active and passive form and for crimes of tax fraud and bleaching. Investigators suspect that, at fiscal level, the state will have been defrauded at a funds of more than 100 million euros. There would still be indications of «abusive use of reduced taxation applied in IRC in the France of Madeira » through fictional tax domiciliation of people and companies.

The ‘Business’ with Meo

In the same request in which he asked the Altice responsible, lawyer Rui Patrício makes another revelation: in December 2024, a year and a half after the search and one year after the date announced for the completion of the audit to Altice, MEO wanted to do business with a company in Hernâni Vaz Antunes group. This month, a member of the Meo Shopping and Supply Chain Board contacted Onerepair-Mobile Phone Repair, Lda, asking him to present his «Best proposal for acquisition by the 50 iPhones 14 or 15 pro 128GB, reconditioned to+».

For the defense this proposal has a meaning: «If already after the CEO of Altice and MEO, Ana Figueiredo, he has been public to announce a ‘page turning’ following Operation Picoas, the Altice group makes the decision to return to work with the HVA group» It’s because they completed « The so -called audit and the legal conformity of the past relationships occurred between the groups was fully validated. ».

However, the business did not materialize. In response to MEO, the one responsible for Onerepair regretted not being able to submit any proposal until «The debt that the Altice group keeps open to the HVA group» it is «PALLARY».