"Portugal Capital Ventures has acquired exclusive control over Parkalgar Serviços SA and consequently gains sole control over assets that make up a commercial establishment located in Portimão," so read the statement issued to the press by Portugal's 'Autoridade de Concorrência' (Competition Authority) in September this year.

It is the definition of ‘exclusive control’ that now is worrying the financial and motor racing sectors, keen to see the racetrack succeed under new ownership and new directors, but are new brooms sweeping clean?

The deputy mayor of Portimão Luís Carito already is famous in Portugal’s legal history as the man who swallowed the evidence, literally.

When Carito's house was being searched by police this week he snatched a document from the hands of a surprised officer and ate it, the document, not the hand. That was on Wednesday and a lot has happened since then, the story is unfolding.