According to RASI 2023, which was delivered today by the government to the Assembly of the Republic, the crime categories that stand out are "prevarication by a political office holder", which saw an increase of 138%, followed by "active corruption in the private sector" (60%), "economic participation in business" (58%), "embezzlement of use" (58%), "money laundering" (47%) and "abuse of power" (46%).

"On the other hand, it is noted that the types of insolvency, which fell by 15%, fraud and misappropriation of subsidies (minus 12%), tax and customs crimes (minus 22%), active corruption in sports (minus 20%), corruption of political office holders (minus 13%), passive corruption (minus 7%) and receiving undue advantage (minus 10%) maintained, in 2023, the downward trend that had already begun in 2022", the document states.

Regarding the constitution of defendants in relation to the types of crime, the crime of "money laundering" represented the offence with the highest number of defendants, 20% of the total.

At the same time, with regard to arrests in the context of economic and financial crime, there has been a gradual upward trend in arrests for this type of crime since 2020. RASI 2023 recorded 121 arrests (up 26%), of which 74% were male.

The number of defendants fell by 13.9%, down to a total of 852.

RASI reveals that it was in the category of "tax and customs crimes" - which includes tax fraud, forgery and smuggling - that the greatest increase in arrests was recorded (up 16%), all of which were male.

"It should be noted that, in 2023, there were arrests for "insolvency" and "abuse of power", when, in previous years, there were no arrests for these offences", the report also states.

According to RASI, 2023 confirmed trends already identified in previous years, namely the growth of cybercrimes or crimes committed in a computer environment, criminal types resulting from money laundering, through the use of different strategies by criminal organisations, such as fraud with alleged cryptocurrency acquisitions and investment fraud, among others.

Regarding measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, RASI mentions that 26 operations were carried out.

In relation to operations to combat Price Speculation and VAT, RASI states that "the adverse and unpredictable situation experienced since 2022, a reflection of the war in Ukraine, which followed a disruptive two-year period related to the covid-19 pandemic, which generated a huge imbalance in production and logistics chains, brought to the agenda the high inflationary pressure, which is unprecedented when compared to the paradigm of recent decades".

Consequently - the report adds - the Food and Economic Safety Authority (ASAE) began a permanent monitoring of the markets, in order to assess possible "illegal practices, taking into account the great increase in public sale prices practised by the majority of economic operators, including and especially at the level of essential foodstuffs".

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