The "Servir Portimão" Coalition, headed by councilor José Pedro Caçorino, demanded today, at the end of the afternoon, in a statement sent to newsrooms, that the Portimão City Council do what the municipal executive had already done a few hours before.
The background to this question is the accusation brought by the Public Ministry against former vice president of the Chamber Luís Carito, former councilor Jorge Campos and other 19 defendants, between natural and legal persons.
In its statement, sent by «Servir Portimão» at 17:55 pm, the coalition that brings together CDS and independents says “it is urgent and essential that the Municipality of Portimão become an assistant in the process in question, in order to assist the Public Prosecutor in holding those responsible of law and demand compensation from the Municipality, if the indicted facts are proven”.
The coalition even announces that it has asked the president of the Chamber, the socialist Isilda Gomes, “the urgent scheduling of an Extraordinary Chamber Meeting, with the discussion of this situation and the resolution of the constitution as Assistant to the Municipality of Portimão as the only point on the agenda in the aforementioned judicial process, with the consequent request for civil damages».
«Servir Portimão» defends that «this attitude and position of the executive is urgent and the only acceptable one in the defense of the interests of the Municipality and of Portimão».
It turns out that, more than five hours earlier, at 12:04 pm, the Portimão Chamber had already announced that “it intends to set up the Municipality as an assistant in the aforementioned process., in order to guarantee the safeguarding of the municipal public interest».
The local authority's note added that, "in this sense, instructions were given to the municipality's legal services, so that the necessary procedures for this purpose are initiated".
Contacted by Sul Informação at the beginning of the evening, opposition councilor José Pedro Caçorino said that he was not aware of the municipality's public communiqué, but added that, "if it has already announced its intention to become an assistant", the Chamber did "what had to be done" .
In order to have access to the process (which, for the time being, is only accessible to the prosecution and the defense) and therefore to be able to assess the best way to safeguard the Municipality's interests (and possibly request compensation for damages to the defendants), the Municipal Council of Portimão has first to ask the Court to become an assistant to the process. This is what the Chamber's legal services are already dealing with.
The statement from "Servir Portimão" adds that "it is the Portimonenses who continue to pay an amalgamation of irresponsible acts - some of which may constitute the practice of crimes - which includes the part that deals with the judicial process in question".
The coalition is also keen to say that "it reiterates its confidence in the various organs of justice and congratulates itself on taking another step in the search for the truth", but underlines that "without prejudice to the presumption of innocence, it is certain that the investigation judicial process carried out by Organs competent bodies allowed the collection of evidence sufficient to support an accusation, the one now brought».
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