Tribunal da Relação Validates Strong Indicators of Corruption Against Pedro Calado, Avelino Farinha and Custódio Correia — Central Hospital Procurement and Team Vespas Rally Sponsorships Anchor the 20 May Reformulated Ruling

The Tribunal da Relação de Lisboa issued a reformulated acórdão on Wednesday 20 May 2026 concluding there are fortes indícios — strong indicators — of active and passive corruption, recebimento indevido de vantagem (improper receipt of advantage), and fraude fiscal qualificada (qualified tax fraud) against former Madeira vice-president and ex-Funchal mayor Pedro Calado, Afavias construction-group owner Avelino Farinha, and Socicorreia owner Custódio Correia. The three-judge panel — Lara Martins, Sofia Rodrigues and João Bártolo — handed down the ruling after the Supremo Tribunal de Justiça annulled the Relação's earlier assessment and ordered a fresh read of the evidence.

Two Schemes the Court Calls 'Strongly Indicated'

The first centres on the Hospital Central da Madeira. The Relação found that Farinha and Calado engendraram um esquema to steer the contract toward Afavias, with Farinha allegedly instructing Calado to enterrar the first licensing procedure and craft two new procurement processes that the construction group then won. The court dismissed Calado's defence — that he was seeking management advice on project funding — as destituída de senso comum e de lógica. Evidence cited in the ruling includes an unlimited-access card to Hotel Savoy Palace held by Calado, requests from Calado for Farinha to employ third parties, and the former vice-president's advance knowledge of regional-government decisions on the hospital project. The second scheme involves rally-competition sponsorships for Team Vespas — whose members include Pedro Calado and Alexandre Camacho — by Custódio Correia, in exchange for benefits in public-contract awards.

Cautionary Measures Stay at the Lightest Tier

Despite the reformulated finding of fortes indícios, the Relação maintained only Termo de Identidade e Residência (TIR) — the lightest restraint measure in the Portuguese criminal-procedural toolkit — for all three defendants. The Ministério Público's earlier attempt to escalate to passport surrender was overturned by the STJ before the case returned to Lisbon for reformulation. Investigation by DCIAP and Polícia Judiciária continues. Calado's lawyer, Paulo Sá e Cunha, told reporters the Ministério Público perdeu o recurso on cautionary measures and added: Todos os indícios são fortes até serem contraditados. Instruction judge Jorge Bernardes de Melo had originally downgraded the evidence in February 2024, applying TIR alone.

Albuquerque Pushes Back

Madeira regional president Miguel Albuquerque — himself constituted arguido in the same investigation — used the opening of the Dia do Empresário Madeirense on Thursday 21 May in Funchal to downplay the ruling. Não há nenhum agravamento das medidas cautelares, he said. O que, no fundo, a Relação vem confirmar é aquilo que o Supremo já tinha dito. Manteve-se com as medidas mínimas. Albuquerque added: A Relação diz que há indícios. Indícios pode ser o que você quiser. Ninguém, num país democrático, é condenado em função das notícias, nem de indícios. É condenado em função de uma sentença. The PSD-Madeira leader said he feels completamente à vontade politically about the proceedings — PSD-M has carried two anticipated regional elections since the 2024 arguido status that triggered Calado's January 2024 resignation from the Funchal câmara.

What This Means for Expats

If you follow Madeira politics: the reformulated acórdão upgrades the evidentiary read but the case remains in the inquérito phase — no formal accusation, no trial dates.
If you read political-stability headlines: Albuquerque's stance signals the regional government will continue irrespective of further procedural milestones, with anticipated elections having locked in a fresh PSD-M mandate.
Where the case goes next: DCIAP closes its investigation and decides whether to file a formal acusação; only then does the case move toward a Madeira instruction-court hearing and potential trial.