Opinion article by Rui Patrício | "Calm down! Illicit enrichment is already a criminal offence (part II)"

Rui Patrício, partner at Morais Leitão, is the author of the article "Calm down! Illicit enrichment is already a crime (part II)", published in the 5 July edition of the weekly newspaper SOL.

 

The partner revisits the issue of criminalising illicit enrichment in Portugal.

 

"I wrote here a month ago that illicit enrichment was on the rise again, but that it wasn't worth it because it was already criminalised, in the form of qualified disobedience and fraudulent concealment of assets. In the meantime, I realised that perhaps I was right [...]. Now, the law is recent, from 2019, and its skilful amendment of 2022 is even more recent. Perhaps there hasn't been time to look at the problems that this incrimination could raise, which are essentially two - in addition to another, classic one, which is that it's a crime that serves no purpose, because those who commit crimes and increase their wealth won't put it in their sphere and therefore have nothing to declare."

 

[Article available only in Portuguese]