Ministry denies selling State properties for a song

Portugal’s Ministry of Finances has denied that the State sold off state-owned properties for below market values.

The newspaper Público reported this Sunday that the State sold properties below market price that could have housed hundreds in public housing.

The Ministry of Finance stated that the maximum price set was “unequivocally exceeded”, in all properties sold in Public Auction No. 1/2026, by approximately 21.9% compared to the initial base value.

“It is important to clarify that two external valuations were carried out for all properties included in Public Auction No. 1/2026, conducted by autonomous, independent and reputable entities, which set the minimum and maximum sale price for each property.

The criterion for selecting the base sale price for the properties was the maximum value. This maximum value was unequivocally exceeded, in all properties sold in Public Auction No. 1/2026, by approximately 21.9% compared to the initial base value,” says the Ministry.

Sources: Público/Jornal Ecónomico; Image: Wesley Tingey on Unsplash