In recent months, a succession of investigations led by Portugal’s Judicial Police has unfolded with names that verge on the ironic, yet point to deeply serious concerns. From Operation Rigor Mortis, tied to irregularities in the funeral sector, to the sweeping Operation Lúmen, the country has watched as inquiries ripple through Lisbon and the Azores, unsettling political and institutional circles alike.

Though many details remain under judicial review, Operation Lúmen is reported to have uncovered networks of favoritism and influence—quiet architectures of power built over decades by figures operating largely behind the scenes. Among those mentioned is Laplaine Guimarães, a long-standing political figure with ties to the CDS party and a presence across multiple Lisbon administrations, most recently serving as secretary-general under Mayor Carlos Moedas. As with all such cases, the presumption of innocence remains paramount, and any rush to judgment risks feeding a climate of populist condemnation rather than justice.

More immediately consequential for the Azores is Operation Last Call, an investigation centered on alleged irregular incentives granted to the airline Ryanair through regional funding mechanisms, including POA 2030. At the time of writing, Regional Secretary Berta Cabral has emerged as a central figure in the inquiry. The allegations suggest preferential arrangements designed to secure airline routes to the islands—arrangements whose effectiveness is now called into question, given the company’s reported withdrawal.

The optics have been as troubling as the allegations themselves. Days of coordinated searches targeted Chambers of Commerce, law firms, and spaces linked to regional governance. Public communication from the government has been inconsistent, at times contradictory. In one instance, statements denying the existence of formal charges were followed—within hours—by reports to the contrary, only to be subsequently denied again. The result has been a growing sense of institutional disarray, eroding public trust in both governance and communication.

Observers note that the burden of political defense has often fallen unevenly. Parliamentary Secretary Paulo Estêvão has frequently been placed before the press, navigating a shifting narrative under intense scrutiny, even as other members of the executive remained less visible. His role, some suggest, has resembled that of a political shock absorber, absorbing the force of public questioning amid a broader governmental retreat.

Yet beyond the immediate drama of investigations and press conferences lies a deeper critique—one that speaks not only to individual cases but to systemic patterns. The allegations, if substantiated, point to a troubling alignment between public resources and private interests, even as public institutions—such as the national airline—face mounting financial strain. Critics argue that such dynamics reflect a broader ideological contradiction: a neoliberal framework in which the state underwrites private gain while socializing risk.

Still, caution is warranted. Investigations are ongoing, and the integrity of due process must remain intact. To prematurely weaponize allegations is to risk undermining the very institutions tasked with delivering accountability.

And yet, the metaphor that has begun to circulate—of politics as an “open bar”—captures a sentiment difficult to ignore: a system in which access, privilege, and proximity to power may determine who benefits and who bears the cost. Whether this metaphor proves descriptive or merely rhetorical will depend on what the courts ultimately establish.

For now, the Azores—and Portugal more broadly—stand in a moment of uneasy suspension: between revelation and resolution, between suspicion and proof, between the promise of transparency and the enduring shadows of power.

Alexandra Manes is from Flores Island but lives on Terceira Island in the Azores. She is a regular contributor to several Azorean newspapers, a political and cultural activist, and has served in the Azorean Parliament.

NOVIDADES will feature occasional opinion pieces from leading thinkers and writers in the Azores, providing the diaspora and those interested in the current state of the Azores with a sense of the significant perspectives on some of the archipelago’s issues.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL).