The two Olhão building inspectors who were handed suspended sentences, after being convicted for extorting money from property owners in exchange for ‘looking the other way’ over building regulation infringements, may end up in jail after all.
The Public Prosecution Service has appealed against the suspension of the two sentences for corruption and embezzlement handed out to the two women.
According to today's statement from the prosecution service, one of the female defendants was sentenced to three years in prison and the other to three years and one month in prison, both sentences were suspended.
The women, aged 41 and 54, were detained last April as part of a police operation last entitled ‘Extranumerário.’
“Using their professional status, they would receive money from third-parties to carry out acts that went against their duties,” read the police statement at the time.
Searches uncovered €33,000 in cash at the home of one of the inspectors who failed to provide a credible reason why so much cash was at her property.
The public prosecution service says that if someone is given three years or more, this sentence should not be suspended and the convicted person must go to jail, adding that the women certainly should have been banned from continuing to be employed in the public sector.
Olhão’s mayor, António Pina, failed to sack the two women despite their convictions, thus condoning their behaviour, despite earlier stating that “it is important to fight corruption in public services.” It is important, but not in Olhão it seems.
When the sentence was defined, the Public Ministry had already stated that it was considering appealing the judge's decision.
The facts leading to the specimen charge date back to March 2016 when the two women demanded money from a local property owner - if he refused, he would be fined for what they said was "unlicensed work."
