There is at least two Portuguese children, around 10 years oldamong the victims of sexual abuse by lawyer Paulo Abreu dos Santos, former assistant to former Minister of Justice Catarina Sarmento e Castro. The defendant confessed to the crimes before the judge and is in preventive detention, advanced to TVI/CNN Portugal.
According to the same source, the Judiciary Police are trying to formally identify the childrenso that they can be heard as victims in the process. The investigation points to the existence of videos in which the lawyer himself filmed himself abusing childrenin addition to approximately 500 international files of access and sharing of child pornography. Paulo Abreu dos Santos is indicted for two crimes of sexual abuse of minorswith each image collected being able to constitute an independent crime.
A PJ now wants to have access to the defendant’s cell phoneto determine whether there were contacts with other Portuguese pedophiles and eventual connections to a wider network. Investigators admit that the case may have ramifications, involving crimes committed and shared through social networks.
O “Morning Mail” writes that the investigation originated in the access to a Ministry of Justice computerused by Paulo Abreu dos Santos while serving in the ministerial office. It would have been the IP address of the ministry who led the authorities to the lawyer, as part of a international investigation originating in the United Statesdeveloped with the FBI support.
Paulo Abreu dos Santos served as assistant to minister Catarina Sarmento e Castro between 2023 e 2024he was guest assistant at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon and was part of a law firm that, after the case was publicized by TVI/CNN Portugalissued a statement expressing shock and dismay.