Public Prosecutor's Office sets criminal priorities for the 2026-2028 biennium

The Attorney General, Amadeu Guerra, has signed Directive No. 2/2026, which establishes the general directives and instructions for the execution of the Criminal Policy Law for the 2026-2028 biennium. The document was published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 186, of September 24, 2026, and is binding upon the magistrates of the Public Ministry and the criminal police bodies that assist them.

The directive implements Law No. 35/2026, of July 27, which defined the objectives, priorities, and criminal policy guidelines for 2026/2028 under Law No. 17/2006, of May 23 (Framework Law on Criminal Policy). The Attorney General issues binding directives, orders, and general instructions under Article 13 of the Framework Law and Article 6, paragraph 1, of Law No. 35/2026, applying to prevention actions, the direction of the inquiry, the exercise of criminal action, and intervention during the instruction and trial phases.

Criminal priorities for the biennium

Chapter I lists the priority crimes for investigation, with specific guidelines for each phenomenon:

• Crimes against life and physical integrity committed against or by authority agents, civil protection, medical emergency, or health professionals;
• Terrorism and crimes provided for in Law No. 52/2003, of August 22;
• Domestic violence and homicide within the context of domestic violence;
• Crimes against especially vulnerable victims, including children, elderly people, the sick, people with disabilities, and immigrants;
• Cybercrime, computer fraud, and abuse of cards or payment data;
• Drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and organized, group, or juvenile crime;
• Human trafficking and assistance to illegal immigration;
• Crimes against sexual freedom and self-determination;
• Corruption and related crimes, economic-financial crime, and money laundering;
• Tax and social security crimes, crimes against the health system, crime in school environments and health services, forest fires, crimes against nature and the environment, and violence in sports.

Corruption, laundering, and asset recovery

The directive grants special priority to corruption, influence peddling, abuse of power, money laundering, embezzlement, and economic participation in business, especially when committed in an organized manner, with a transnational dimension, or through complex corporate structures. It determines the immediate transfer to the DCIAP of inquiries relating to international corruption, the violation of restrictive measures linked to the Russian Federation, and money laundering, under the terms of Circular No. 2/11/PGR and Orders No. 2/22/PGR and No. 10/22/PGR.

It also provides for coordination with the Financial Intelligence Unit, the Tax and Customs Authority, the Asset Recovery Office, and the National Anticorruption Mechanism, and takes into account Law No. 37/2026, of July 28, which transposes Directive (EU) 2024/1260 on the recovery and confiscation of assets. In environmental crime, the Public Prosecution Service is preparing for the transposition of Directive 2024/1203, regarding the protection of the environment through criminal law.

Domestic violence and victim protection

The determinations of Directive No. 5/2019 remain in force, with risk assessment through the RVD-R instrument and the development of a personal security plan. In cases of high or extreme risk, the integrated urgent action model is activated, involving the GNR, the PSP, the PJ, the CIG/RNAVVD, the DGRSP, and the INMLCF, among other entities.

When remote technical control means are applied, the devices should preferably be implemented within 24 hours after the judicial interrogation of the detained defendant. Evaluation, follow-up, and monitoring are the responsibility of the Office for the Family, the Child, and against Domestic Violence.

Monitoring and deadlines

Prosecution offices must submit semi-annual statistical information by crime typology, including the number of inquiries initiated, the number of inquiries concluded, and the outcome of the final order. The periods are July 1 to December 31, 2026; January 1 to June 30, 2027; July 1 to December 31, 2027; and January 1 to June 30, 2028, with delivery by January 31 and September 30. The annual map on money laundering and predicate offenses is submitted by the end of February.

The directive provides for the establishment of special and mixed teams under Article 21 of Law No. 35/2026 and subordinates the use of non-institutional artificial intelligence tools to the ethics charter of the Public Prosecution Service. Priority cases are now to be flagged on the cover and electronically, with the mention “Priority Case — Criminal Policy Law” in requests for expert reports and social reports.

With this directive, the priorities set by the legislator cease to be statements of intent and become mandatory operational rules for magistrates and police, with reporting deadlines and signaling mechanisms. For readers, this means that the crimes considered most serious in the biennium — from corruption to domestic violence — are subject to a verifiable monitoring regime.

Source: Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 186, of September 24, 2026, Public Prosecution Service — Prosecutor General’s Office, p. 1/28 (official reference: Directive No. 2/2026).