The Public Prosecutor's Office (MP), consulted today by Lusa, states that, in early 2020, the two military men, "in exchange for payment and free consumption", began assisting a man who was profitably exploiting poker and blackjack/21 card games with money, in several bars that he owned in Santa Maria da Feira. According to the investigation, the military men will have warned the businessman, a co-defendant in the same case, of the inspections that would be carried out by the GNR and informed him about the ownership of cars that were parked in the vicinity of his establishments in order to overcome any possible police surveillance. The two military men will have even helped the businessman in the profitable exploitation of the aforementioned games, often performing the functions of doorman and 'croupier', in addition to also participating as players in the poker and blackjack/21 games. The investigators also say that, during the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the military men went to one of the bars several times without reporting its operation or promoting its closure, violating the restrictions imposed during that period. The two GNR military men are accused of the crimes of passive corruption, personal favour by an official, aggravated illegal access, violation of the duty of secrecy, illicit gambling and illicit exploitation of games of chance or luck, the latter crime as an accomplice. One of them is also accused of abuse of power and another of possession of a prohibited weapon. The owner of the bars is accused of active corruption, aggravated illegal access, violation of the duty of secrecy, illicit gambling and illicit exploitation of games of chance or luck. The MP requested that the military men, who are currently suspended from their duties, be sentenced to pay the State around 300 euros corresponding to the advantage obtained from the criminal acts that lasted until 2022. Three other GNR military men from Feira will be sitting on the bench, accused of the crimes of abuse of power, influence peddling, passive corruption and possession of a prohibited weapon. The investigators found that one of these military men had an incongruous (undeclared for tax purposes) assets worth almost 40 thousand euros, an amount that the MP requested to be declared forfeited in favour of the State. The case also includes two men and a woman as defendants, who are accused of influence peddling and active corruption. See Also: Man arrested for threatening his partner with a weapon in Odemira (Portuguese version)