Portugal
Paulo Saragoça da Matta LL. M.
He/himPartnerExceptional practitioner with a great amount of experience in handling corporate crime matters.
— Chambers Europe 2022About
Paulo Saragoça da Matta has almost thirty years of experience, with extensive practice in financial and economic-crime areas, namely, white-collar crime, political crime, banking crime and tax frauds. He has joined DLA Piper ABBC in March 2022 to create a corporate crime practice there as head of the firm's litigation team.
He is considered by the main international legal directories as one of the main lawyers in Dispute Resolution in Portugal, with a special focus on Corporate Crime, high-profile cases, and White-Collar Crime.
Paulo was a professor at several renowned universities and schools. He is algo a regular presence in the media, being a regular TV commentator, nowadays mainly in CNN Portuguese Channel.
Areas of FocusLitigation, Arbitration and Investigations
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONSAdvogado admitted with the Ordem dos Advogados (Portuguese Bar Association)
EXPERIENCE
- Representing several different defendants in a lot of five banking fraud, embezzlement and forgery of documents criminal cases.
- Representation of two private banks in major cases of administrative offences regarding Banking Rules, being pursued all the Administrators and some Directors of the Bank.
- Legal representation in a criminal procedure for corruption and influence trafficking involving a Portuguese Minister, Superior Administration Officers, and an international businessman.
- Legal representation on a big investigation against senior Portuguese Air Force officers and suppliers of goods and services.
- Legal representation in a set of more than a dozen criminal cases against family members of a Head of State of an African country.
- Legal representation on criminal proceedings for alleged crimes of influence peddling committed by a minister and other senior officials of the State and of a state-owned company.
- Representation on a set of numerous criminal cases on behalf of the biggest Portuguese football club, either as a Victim or as a Defendant.
- Representation of a major company and its CEO in a criminal case for the practice of an alleged crime of discrimination at work and disruption of freedom of association.
- Representation in the most complex case of an alleged practice of crimes of corruption, influence peddling, money laundering and forgery of documents directed against an important politician.
- Representation of defendants in the largest bankruptcy cases of a Portuguese private bank, with accusations of fraud, forgery of documents, corruption, corruption in international trade, money laundering, etc.
Languages
- Portuguese
- English
- French
- Spanish
Education
- Lisbon University, Faculty of Law, LL.M. Criminal Law and Procedure, 1998
- Catholic Portuguese University, Law Degree, 1993
Awards
- Distinguished as Band 1 for Dispute Resolution: Corporate Crime in Portugal by Chambers and Partners
- Distinguished in Dispute Resolution: White collar crime in Portugal by Leaders League in 2022
Publications
- “Law n. 83/2017: the inadequacy of the new regulation of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Prevention”, in Vida Judiciária, Oporto, n. 205, January - February2018, p. 32-33
- “Continues the State preferring administrative sanctions to criminal punishment?” (on Money laundering prevention and combat) – notes on the Law n. 83/2017 dated August 18th – Measures for preventing and combating Money laundering and terrorism financing, in Liber Amicorum to Agostinho Pereira de Miranda, Almedina, Coimbra, 2019, p. 423
- “Reflexions on the relation between Justice and Media”, in Revista Justiça e Democracia, December 2018, p. 19
- “Media and Justice – Symbiosis, parasitism and other minor forms of ecological relation vs. The 4th Power exercising its regular functions”, in Polígrafo, November 6th, 2018 (https://poligrafo.sapo.pt/opiniao/artigos/jornalismo-e-justica-simbiose-parasitismo-e-outras-formas-menores-de-relacoes-ecologicas)
- “The meaning of commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Portuguese ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights”, in Boletim da Ordemdos Advogados, December 2018
- “Human Fundamental Rights – an invention hard on massify”, in Revista do Centro de Estudos Judiciários, 2018-II
- Speech as President of the Commission of Human Rights, Social Questions and Environment of the Portuguese Bar Association, on the Commemorations held at the Portuguese Parliament of the 40th anniversary of the adhesion of Portugal to the European Convention of Human Rights, in Revista da Ordem dos Advogados, Year 78, Jul.-December 2018, Lisboa, p. 551
- “Is the Parliament for people a place of hope?”, in Polígrafo, October, 5th, 2019 (https://poligrafo.sapo.pt/opiniao/artigos/ensaio-de-paulo-saragoca-da-matta-oparlamento-e-paratodos-o-lugar-da-esperanca)
- “The left wing and the right wing belong to the same bird – or how populism will destroy democracy wherever they come from”, opinion article published on Eco Advocatus Online Newspaper, October, 24th, 2019 (https://eco.sapo.pt/opiniao/the-left-wing-and-the-right-wing-belong-to-thesame-bird-ou-de-como-ospopulismos-destruirao-a-democracia-sejam-de-que-banda-forem/)
- “Megaprocessos – Fatalidade, Estratégia, Oportunismo?”, in Corrupção em Portugal, Coord. Paulo Pinto de Albuquerque et alii, Universidade Católica Editora, Lisboa, 2021, Text 30 (pp. 448 e ss.
Seminars
- Conference “Fundamentalism and recognition of diversity”, on the Program of Continuous Formation of the Portuguese Judiciary Studies Formation “To the Judge on a Gender Perspective – Constitutionality on the construction of equality”, Lisbon, CEJ, January, 24th, 2020
- Seminar on Human Rights and Regulation – examples of emblematic decisions of the ECHR regarding freedom of expression and freedom of press, integrated in the Course of Regulation and Media Ethics, promoted by the ISCTE-IUL, ERC and Directorate-General of Media of the Government of Cape Verde, University of Cape Verde, Cidade da Praia, January, 31st, 2020
- Conference The state of criminal justice on Portugal and lessons for the rest of Europe, LEAP annual conference 2020 (our 2020 vision for criminal justice in Europe), promoted by LEAP and Fair Trial Org., Lisbon, February 29th, 2020
- Participation in the Roundtable “Yes or No to Euthanasia?”, organized by the Humanitarian Studies Association of the Lisbon University Faculty of Law, web conference, March 24th, 2021
- Presentation of the conference “Instruction in criminal procedure and megaprocedures”, Conference The New Paradigm of Criminal Law – the role of the Lawyer in order of a more Just society, organized by the Regional Councils of Lisbon and Faro of the Portuguese Law Bar Association, web conference, May 19th, 2021
- Presentation of the conference “Illicit-unjustified enrichment”, on the Debate on Illicit Enrichment organized by the Portuguese National Council of Law Students, web conference, May 21st, 2021
- Participation on the Round Table of presentation of the “Portugal 2021 Study – Money Laundering Prevention and Terrorism Financing Combat – Compliance & Sustainability Summit”, organized by the Portuguese Compliance Observatory and STINMA Prime Consulting, September 29th, 2021
- Presentation of the seminar “Military Justice Act – basic concepts, brief history, structure, analysis of some types of crime and the role of the Military Justice Act on the enforcement to the International Criminal Law”, Course of Post-Grade in National Defence Law, organized by the Political-Juridical Sciences Institute – Lisbon University Faculty of Law, by the Public Law Investigation Centre Lisbon Law Faculty and by the National Defence Institute, October, 19th 2021
- Presentation of the seminar “The reception of the International Criminal Law in the Portuguese Law: international abidance, Criminal Code and Military Justice Act”, 4 Course of International Humanitarian Law, organized by the Political-Juridical Sciences Institute – Lisbon University Faculty of Law, by the European Law Institute and by the National Defence Institute, October 25th, 2021
- Presentation of the seminar “Negotiations in administrative regulation procedures under the Administrative Sanctions of the Energetic Sector”, Course of Negotiation Techniques in juridical context, organized by the Political-Juridical Sciences Institute – Lisbon University Faculty of Law and by the Energetic Services Regulation Authority, October 26th, 2021
- Presentation of the communication “Mega-criminal-proceedings – fatality, strategy, opportunism?”, conference “Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Themes”, organized by the Oporto Regional Council of the Portuguese Law Bar Association – Braga Delegation of the Portuguese Law Bar Association, November 11st, 2021
- Presentation of the conference “Mega-criminal-procedures”, V Congress of SEDES (Social and Economic Development Association), commemoration of the SEDES’ 50 anniversary, University of Coimbra Rectoral Auditorium, November 19th, 2021
- Presentation of the conference “Nulla inquisitio, nullum iudicium, sine defensa”, formation on “Criminal Procedure Guarantees”, organized by the Lisbon Distrital Council of the Portuguese Law Bar Association, December 22nd, 2021
- Former Lecturer at FDUL, 1993-2009
- Former Lecturer at Police Superior School
- Former Lecturer at Military Academy
Prior Experience
- 2022 - present, Partner at DLA Piper ABBC
- 2001 - 2022, Founder and Managing Partner, Own Law firm in Lisbon
- 1993 - 2001, Lawyer, Law firm based in Lisbon
Memberships And Affiliations
- UIA – International Union of Lawyers
- AIDP – International Association of Criminal Law
