Face Oculta is a Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 nationwide political corruption

Political corruption

Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...

, money-laundering and corporate tax evasion

Tax evasion

Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...

 scandal, first noticed in October 2009. The Polícia Judiciária

Polícia Judiciária

The Polícia Judiciária is the main police branch of criminal investigation in Portugal, dedicated to fighting criminality, organized crime, terrorism, drugs, corruption and financial crimes...

investigated the business group headed by Manuel Godinho, suspected of economic crimes and bribery of managers of public funds. All Godinho’s companies, many of which were linked to business waste and waste management, are based in the Aveiro District. Godinho was arrested on October 28, 2009, in Aveiro, in relation to economic crimes involving an oxygen-treatment and environmental cleaning group. By early November, 14 people had been indicted. Several companies' employees were investigated, among them those of Petrogal and Portucel Soporcel

Portucel Soporcel

The Portucel Soporcel Group is a Portuguese pulp and paper company, which resulted from the 2001 merger of the firms Portucel and Soporcel....

. Also investigated were GNR

Portuguese National Republican Guard

The Portuguese National Republican Guard is the gendarmerie of Portugal. Members of the GNR are soldiers, who, unlike the agents of the Public Security Police , are subject to military law and organisation...

 officers, town hall civil servants (most notoriously from the Gouveia Municipality), businesspersons (most prominently Manuel Godinho and his right-hand man, Namércio Cunha, a formal suspect and alleged liaison between Godinho and REN, the company led by José Penedos), and former politicians - noted examples include Armando Vara

Armando Vara

Armando António Martins Vara is a Portuguese politician, member of the Portuguese Socialist Party, and banking administrator. He enrolled in philosophy, at the New University of Lisbon, leaving the institution whithout being awarded a degree...

 (Millennium bcp) and José Penedos (REN

Rede Eléctrica Nacional

REN - Redes Energéticas Nacionais, SGPS, S.A. is a Portuguese company. Its main activities are global management of the country's Public Electricity Supply System , with the aim of guaranteeing the stability and security of electricity supply; operation and development of the national very-high...

). Former politician Armando Vara is reported by the police investigation to have had suspicious phone calls with the Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates

José Sócrates

José Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa, GCIH , commonly known by José Sócrates , is a Portuguese politician who was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 12 March 2005 to 21 June 2011....

. These phone calls were recorded by the investigators. José Sócrates has denied any involvement, claiming he was only talking to a friend.