Luís Filipe Vieira suspends his functions as Benfica president

Luís Filipe Vieira will suspend his duties as president of Benfica. The information was advanced in a statement from himself, read by the lawyer Magalhães e Silva.

“What Luís Filipe Vieira has asked me to convey to you is very clear: as of this moment he suspends his functions as president of Sport Lisboa e Benfica and its subsidiaries,” the lawyer told reporters.

He clarified that this is a suspension and not a resignation from the positions he holds. “It is a suspension while the exercise of functions could harm the investigation that is underway,” said Magalhães e Silva.

Before, the lawyer read a short statement on behalf of Luís Filipe Vieira, who has been in custody since Wednesday: “Benfica comes first. Given the events of the last few days within the scope of operation “Red Card”, in which I am directly targeted and while the ongoing investigation may constitute a disturbing factor, I suspend with immediate effect the exercise of my functions as president of Sport Lisboa e Benfica as well as all subsidiaries of the club.”

At the end of the statement, Vieira left an appeal to the serenity of the incarnate partners “in defence of the good name” of Benfica.

Luís Filipe Vieira is one of the four detained in an investigation involving business deals and financing in excess of €100 million, with losses for the state and some companies, in which they are indicted for “crimes of abuse of trust, qualified fraud, forgery, tax fraud and laundering.”

The measures of coercion are not yet known, but the Public Prosecutor will ask for preventive detention for the president of Benfica. Prosecutor Rosário Teixeira believes there is a risk of absconding.

This situation involving Luís Filipe Vieira’s suspension deeply impacted Benfica shares, which were today down 3.81% against Thursday’s close.

(Article last updated at 12h57 p.m.)