By Shirley Farmer 
Julio Magalhaes He often says that no one knows the motorway like him, having traveled the Lisbon-Porto route regularly for more than 24 years. Since last year, the focus of the Portuguese channel TVI/CNN has been returning to Porto every week to be with his family, and that is exactly what he did last week, after the judicial police searched his home.
According to what was reported by the newspaper “New People”. Julio Magalhaes is isolated in Porto with his wife Manuela Magalhaes, to whom he has been married for 34 years, with whom he has two children, Mariana and Andre, while the Operation Maestro investigations continue.
In the case it is On suspicion of conditional tax fraud, money laundering and abuse of power that harmed the financial interests of the European Union and the Portuguese State. The main target of the investigation is the businessman and television commentator Manuel Serrao, a long-time partner and friend of Julio Magalhães, who may have illegally obtained approximately €39 million between 2015 and 2023 from European funds.
Julio Magalhães was working for Manhas 360 on Radio Observador when he was forced to go to the house he was renting in Lisbon to open the door for PJ, Nova Gente reported. Authorities searched the house with a fine-toothed comb and confiscated the center's cell phone, after it had been the target of wiretapping for several months.
After that nightmarish morning, after announcing to TVI and Radio Observador that he was no longer available for work, Julio Magalhães left to meet his family.
In fact, in Porto the Axis always found refuge. During more than 24 years of working in Lisbon, the journalist never wanted to move permanently with his family. “I've always lived in hotels, and I love hotels, but now, since I come every week, it's hard to be in a hotel. I'm alone.”he was told on the program “Dois à 10” just four months ago.
“Life in Lisbon is different from life in Porto. In Porto we live more with friends. Here everything is so far away, the city is bigger. I always say: 'It's not better or worse, life is different.' In Porto, we are together. Suddenly, at night, my friends say: “Let's have coffee there.” not here […] I'm used to it. “I've been doing this for 24 years.”
He never thought of moving the whole family to Lisbon. “We have a life in Porto. My whole life there, it's hard to change, without a doubt, because we're used to it“, he explained in December.
To date, none of those targeted in Operation Maestro have been charged. No activity on TVI/CNN Portugal and Rádio Observador, Julio Magalhães could lose €13,500 a month, €10,000 from TVI and €3,500 from Rádio Observador.
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