The local Left Bloc in Olhão has lodged a formal complaint against the council executive.
Not content with complaining to the Constitutional Court, the Bloquistas also have complained to the General Inspectorate of Finances and the Secretary of State for Local Government.
The issue is an important one and throws further light onto the operating style of the current executive under mayor António Miguel Ventura Pina.
At issue is a delay of more than five months in actioning a decision taken at a full council meeting for an urgent inquiry into a long and damning list of administrative acts and decisions taken by the current and former Mayors of Olhão, both of whom are Socialist Party adherents.
The main areas due for investigation are the allocation of grants, and several planning decisions which appear to contravene the overarching municipal development plan.
The decision to hold a full enquiry was voted through at a full meeting of the Chamber of Olhão on April 2 this year, with the socialists abstaining in a move that at the time was seen as 'turkeys not voting for Christmas.'
The urgently requested inquiry aimed to expose the councils opaque machinations built up under years of socialist rule and finally to let the sunlight in to dark council areas where suspicion lay that the mayor was there to serve himself not the people.
There are many activities in Olhão where allegations of corruption lies and an open investigation resisted by the socialists does not bode well for the current mayor whose closed style of leadership and lack of consultation within the chamber and with the public is notable.
The Left Bloc submitted a list of problem areas and the council voted that there should be a full enquiry into council finances. The fact the mayor may have sat on the request for 5 months only throws suspicion his way although we can expect an inplausible excuse and a transfer of blame to a minion in due course
When the Bloquistas forced a response as to where the enquiry was at, during the last council meeting on September 17th, they were informed that the request had only been submitted 'a couple of days ago.'
The Left Bloc considers this an "unfortunate" situation and has informed the constitutional court accordingly, as well as the General Inspectorate of Finances and the Secretary of State for Local Government.
Serious allegations have arisen over the minutes of the original meeting where a majority vote agreed that a full enquiry should be set in motion.
There now are two sets of minutes, one with the decision duly noted and one without. Olhão councillors and now the locals are wondering, exactly where does the buck stop?
The reasons for an urgent enquiry into this sort of carry on are becoming more and more clear.
