A land located in Monte Gordo, which was at public auction more than once, but which ended up being sold by direct agreement, is the central element of “Operation Triangle”, within which Conceição Cabrita, Mayor of Vila Real de Santo António (VRSA) was arrested yesterday.
According to the newspapers Expresso and Público, what is at stake is the sale of a 5279-square-metre plot of land, for 5,6 million euros, to the company Saint Germain, owned by businessman Carlos de Matos, which will be another of the four people arrested in the operation.
The land in question faces Rua de Arzila to the North, Avenida Infante Dom Henrique to the South and Rua Azamor to the East.
The deal ended up advancing by direct award, already after a second attempt at public auction, released in December 2018, have been canceled in the middle of the process, through a order signed by Conceição Cabrita, even before the opening of the proposals, scheduled for February 22, 2019.
In the order, dated January 11, 2019, no explanation is given on the reason for the suspension of the public auction.
According to Expresso, on April 3, 2020, the Municipal Assembly of VRSA approved the sale by direct agreement, with votes in favor of the PSD majority, the party by which Conceição Cabrita was elected, and votes against by the PS and CDU.
The deal was questioned by the opposition, not least because it had a clause that stipulated that the buyer would only pay 50% of the amount agreed upfront, with the rest being paid to the municipality when the projects were completed and licensed.
At the time, says Expresso, «PS justified the vote against because “the assumptions defined in the law were not met, (…) namely the invitation to one or several entities to submit a proposal and sale (…) for the base value of public auction” and because the proposed acquisition of 5,6 million was made “without any prior invitation from the Chamber”».
Are these the facts that led the PJ and the Public Ministry to suspect that they were committed "corruption crimes, improper taking of advantage and abuse of power".
Under investigation, according to these entities, "they are suspected of illegal action", by Conceição Cabrita, "who benefited from the collaboration of officials, as well as other stakeholders, in the intermediation of a business, purchase of property, owned by the municipality, in the Beach of Monte Gordo».
In “Operação Triângulo”, in addition to Conceição Cabrita and businessman Carlos de Matos, two more people were arrested, a civil servant from the Chamber of VRSA and another businessman, allegedly from the Lisbon area. All of them will be present today at the DIAP of Évora, for the first judicial interrogation and application of coercive measures.
According to Expresso, António Gameiro, a PS deputy, will also be under suspicion, having already reached the Assembly of the Republic with a request for the lifting of parliamentary immunity.
The socialist deputy is suspected of having brokered the deal.
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