Justice Ministry Aide Arrested in Lisbon After Child Abuse Videos Found

The detention of a well-connected Lisbon lawyer on hundreds of child-pornography counts has jolted Portugal’s legal and political circles. Investigators say the evidence points not only to extensive online exploitation but also to assaults filmed inside a government office—raising uncomfortable questions about oversight at the heart of public administration.

The Case in One Glance

• Paulo Abreu dos Santos, 38, is in prisão preventiva on suspicion of more than 500 child-pornography offences and 2 counts of sexual abuse of children aged about 10.

• Police seized videos recorded in the Justice Ministry, allegedly showing the former aide abusing minors.

• He confessed during a custody hearing, according to judicial sources.

• Investigators are checking whether he belonged to a domestic paedophile network routed through Telegram and Signal.

How a Foreign Tip-Off Reached Lisbon

An international sweep led by U.S. cyber-crime analysts first spotted encrypted traffic linked to Portuguese phone numbers. When that intelligence reached the Polícia Judiciária’s Unit for Technological Crime, officers traced the activity to Abreu dos Santos’s personal devices. A dawn raid on 11 December uncovered hard drives stuffed with approximately 500 illicit files—some apparently created in the aide’s own workplace between 2023 and 2024.

Inside the Ministry: Abuse Hiding in Plain Sight

Colleagues recall that the lawyer often worked late in the wing once occupied by former justice minister Catarina Sarmento e Castro. Forensic examiners now say that ministry-issued laptops and a desktop seized from that office held high-definition recordings of sexual assaults. The revelation has provoked a scramble to review data-security protocols across government departments.

Professional Fallout Spreads Quickly

The Faculty of Law at the University of Lisbon suspended Abreu dos Santos’s teaching contract within hours of the arrest, expressing “profound dismay.” His employers at Ana Bruno & Associados deleted his profile and stressed they were “completely unaware” of any wrongdoing. Former classmates and partners at Linklaters declined comment, citing the ongoing probe.

What the Penal Code Says

Under Article 171 of Portugal’s Código Penal, each count of abuso sexual de crianças carries up to 10 years in prison. When crimes are continuous, the aggregate sentence can climb to 25 years, the statutory maximum. Separate provisions under the newly amended Lei n.º 4/2024 impose stiffer penalties for producing and sharing child-abuse material.

The Bigger Picture: Portugal’s Struggle with Child Abuse

Official statistics underscore why the case resonates beyond courtroom drama:

• The PJ detained 269 suspects for child-sex offences in the first ten months of this year, already eclipsing 2024’s total.

• The victims’ charity APAV logged 1,990 sexual crimes against minors last year—roughly 6.4 % of all violence it handled.

• A raft of new laws in 2025—from Decreto-Lei 39/2025 to the Council of Ministers’ Resolution 158/2025—aims to tighten background checks, improve foster-care standards and ban child marriage outright.

Next Steps in the Investigation

Detectives are now combing through the suspect’s encrypted chat history and analysing geolocation data to identify any accomplices. Two child victims must still be located and interviewed by specialised psychologists. Meanwhile, Abreu dos Santos remains in Carregueira high-security prison, segregated from the general population but among offenders with similar convictions—a measure authorities say reduces the risk of violence behind bars.

Why This Matters for Portuguese Citizens

Beyond individual culpability, the scandal exposes gaps in vetting procedures, highlights the ease with which predators exploit digital platforms, and tests the robustness of Portugal’s upgraded child-protection framework. If confirmed, crimes carried out inside a sovereign ministry could prompt wide-ranging audits of IT systems across the state apparatus—potentially redefining how sensitive workplaces manage data, access and oversight.

For families, educators and policy-makers alike, the takeaway is blunt: safeguarding children demands constant vigilance, even in the nation’s most trusted institutions.