Former Vila Nova de Gaia Council president acquitted of embezzlement in football ticket case
Eduardo Vítor Rodrigues and two other defendants were acquitted of embezzlement and misconduct charges. The case involved alleged use of municipal funds to purchase football tickets.
Court acquits three defendants in Vila Nova de Gaia football match case
Eduardo Vítor Rodrigues, former president of the Vila Nova de Gaia Council, was acquitted of charges of misconduct and embezzlement, according to sol.iol.pt. The case centred on the alleged use of municipal money to purchase tickets for Porto matches in the Champions League.
The court also acquitted Patrocínio Azevedo, former vice-president of the municipal authority, and the then secretary of the presidency. The two were charged jointly with embezzlement and falsification of documents.
The decision was announced this Friday, determining the acquittal of the three defendants simultaneously.
Eduardo Vítor Rodrigues led the Vila Nova de Gaia Council for 12 years, from 2013, before stepping down from his position in June 2025. His departure from the municipality followed a separate conviction: the former councillor was found guilty of using, for personal purposes, an electric vehicle belonging to the municipality, resulting in the loss of his mandate.
That conviction is unrelated to the case now concluded with the acquittal of the three defendants.
Source: RTP