Mayor of Vila Real de Santo, Conceição Cabrita, was arrested today by the Judiciary Police, on suspicion of the crime of corruption via a real estate business in Monte Gordo.
It is thought the land in question is located in front of the Hotel Vasco da Gama, which was for sale by public auction.
TVI24 have reported this morning that, "it was about the sale of a property to a company, for values below the market, and the municipality was injured. There are still suspicions of counterparts for the Mayor, and an employee of the chamber was also detained".
Four arrests were made, including the two officials mentioned above, on suspicion of active corruption, and two businessmen for bribes to Conceição Cabrita. Searches of the suspects homes, lawyers' offices and a banking institution were made in the Algarve, Lisbon, Leiria and Ourém region, where "several documents, objects, and evidence that will be analysed were seized."
Conceição Cabrita had already announced that she did not intend to run again in this year's elections. PSD announced that the former Mayor of Vila Real de Santo António, Luís Gomes, will step in.
The four defendants detained by the PJ will present at the Évora Criminal Instruction Court for their first judicial interrogation.
Original article available in Portuguese at http://postal.pt/
Comments
Why do these Mayor's have so much power, it really needs the Government to bring this out dated practice to an end, and set up councils or cameras that are answerable to a Government committee and ultimately the Government.
We are all sick of this by-product of the fascist era, that needs to be dealt with. Otherwise Portugal will always be country that is unable to move forward, to provide it's young people with opportunities to improve their lives and to be prosperous.
Or will Portugal continue in the old ways, one person controlling all of the power in each camera, while the intelligent and articulate people leave this wonderful country, because they see that the same old nonsense will never change, how sad.