In custody for two days on suspicion of fraud, the president of Benfica Lisbon, Luis Felipe Vieira, withdrew from his functions provisionally on Friday. In a statement, the club announced that former international Rui Costa, already designated successor to Vieira, would replace the latter “during this period of suspension”.
At the head of the Eagles since 2003, Vieira has already been targeted, directly or indirectly, by the Portuguese courts in recent years for cases of money laundering, tax evasion, fraud and influence peddling.
Red card
The case which led to his detention on Wednesday is nicknamed “Red card” in Portugal. The authorities have carried out around 40 searches in the regions of Lisbon and Braga, as part of an investigation into suspicion of breach of trust, aggravated fraud, falsification, tax fraud and money laundering, according to the public prosecutor. . In question, “business and financing operations of a total amount greater than 100 million euros which may have caused high losses for the State and several companies,” said the prosecution.
In addition to the president of Benfica, the investigation led to the arrest of three other suspects: the eldest son of Mr. Vieira, a businessman who is also the largest individual shareholder of the sporting limited company of Benfica, and a lawyer who acted as an intermediary in the transfer of players. According to several local media citing elements of the file, Luis Filipe Vieira would have harmed the club, the Portuguese state and the bank Novo Banco, from which he had made significant loans.