Diogo Orvalho comments on alleged disability pension fraud case
A journalistic investigation by SIC Notícias has revealed that a doctor based in Benavente, in the Santarém district, is allegedly receiving improper payments of around one thousand euros (without invoice) to facilitate the granting of disability pensions to workers.
Speaking on the programme SIC Notícias Direto, Diogo Orvalho stated that “the Public Prosecutor’s Office must immediately open an investigation and examine what is at stake and who is involved”, noting that it appears to be “a network, a coordinated scheme”.
In this case, which “shocks the country and the Portuguese people”, beyond the ethical concerns, “there is also a judicial component, followed by court proceedings”. The Labour Law specialist at Abreu Advogados highlights that the case carries significant legal consequences: both for companies and employers whose workers were granted disability pensions, and for the workers themselves who received undue benefits from Social Security.
“We are dealing with criminal conduct on the part of the doctor, as well as the beneficiaries, who are receiving monthly Social Security payments funded by all of us.”
Watch the full commentary here (available only in Portuguese).
