Under-Age Sex Case Puts Portugal’s Chega Party on the Defensive
A former senior figure in the far-right party Chega will soon have to defend himself in court over accusations that he paid for sexual services involving under-age teenagers, a crime that carries up to 8 years in prison in Portugal. While the defendant insists on his innocence, the case is already fuelling debate about political ethics, party vetting procedures and how the justice system handles sexual exploitation of minors.
The man behind the headlines
Chega confirmed that the suspect – whose name is being withheld by the court for now – sat on the party’s national board between 2020 and 2023 and helped shape its organisational strategy during the 2022 legislative campaign. He resigned in mid-2024 after the Judicial Police searched his Lisbon home in connection with an unrelated inquiry. At the time, the party framed the move as a personal decision, but insiders now concede the leadership had been alerted to an early stage of the current investigation.
Allegations laid out by prosecutors
According to the indictment filed with Lisbon’s Criminal Court, the former official is accused of repeatedly contacting a prostitution ring that recruited girls under 18 through social media. Prosecutors say he paid cash sums of €300 to €500 and allegedly pressured at least two minors not to speak to the authorities once rumours began circulating. Lawyers familiar with Article 176 of the Penal Code note that even consensual sexual activity with payment is classified as child sexual exploitation when the victim is younger than 18, removing any possibility of a defence based on supposed consent.
Chega’s balancing act
The party, led by André Ventura, issued a two-line statement emphasising “zero tolerance toward crimes against children” while also warning against “politically motivated trials by media.” The response reflects Chega’s delicate position: the party has built its brand on law-and-order rhetoric, yet it now grapples with a scandal that risks undermining that narrative just months before municipal elections in autumn 2025. Analysts at ISCTE predict the leadership will distance itself aggressively if the prosecution proceeds to a full trial, but they also caution that withdrawing the presumption of innocence could alienate part of the party base.
How the investigation unfolded
Judicial Police sources say the wider probe into juvenile prostitution began in early 2023 after cybersecurity officers detected encrypted messaging groups advertising “exclusive private meetings.” Undercover agents eventually interviewed seven minors. In the spring of 2025, magistrates set up a sting operation that allegedly caught the politician arranging a meeting at a short-stay apartment in Sintra. The resulting evidence dump, combined with phone records, convinced the Public Prosecutor’s Office to file charges in September 2025.
The broader legal landscape
Portugal tightened its child-protection statutes in 2015, raising maximum sentences and removing loopholes that once allowed defendants to argue the minor had lied about age. Compared with Spain, where sentences can reach 12 years, Portugal’s penalties are lower but still severe. Victims are entitled to state-funded psychological care as well as compensation that can be enforced through civil courts, a provision lawyers say will likely come into play if the former Chega official is convicted.
Possible consequences for the electorate
With Chega polling above 15 % nationally, any blow to its anti-corruption and family-values image could reshape coalition math in the next Assembly. Voters who migrated from the centre-right PSD in 2022 may think twice if the scandal grows. Yet past Portuguese scandals – from the Face Oculta affair to the cash-for-visas controversy – show that political fallout is rarely linear. Much will hinge on how swiftly the trial moves and whether more party members are dragged into the investigation.
What happens next
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for early December 2025. If a full trial is ordered, testimony could begin as early as February 2026. Defence lawyers are expected to challenge the admissibility of the undercover recordings, a move that could either delay proceedings or, if rejected, accelerate them. Meanwhile, child-protection NGOs such as Associação de Apoio à Vítima urge legislators to seize the moment to strengthen digital monitoring of platforms where minors are often recruited.
For now, Portugal waits to see whether the case will become a footnote in Chega’s ascent or a turning point that forces the party – and the country – to confront how vulnerable teenagers are still being lured into sexual exploitation.