Sentencing hearing for former Mogadouro officials postponed to September
Former mayor, vice-mayor and councillor of the municipality accused of misconduct in office and document forgery in private security contracts worth approximately 200,000 euros.
Sentencing hearing for former Mogadouro officials postponed to September
Bragança Court has rescheduled the reading of the verdict in the case against former officials of Mogadouro municipality for 18 September. The postponement, decided on Wednesday, was due to a non-substantial alteration of the facts, according to the judge.
The defence teams now have ten days to submit their arguments. Eight people are accused, including Francisco Guimarães, who chaired the Municipal Council between 2013 and 2017, Evaristo Neves, former vice-mayor, and Joana Silva, former councillor.
The prosecution contends that between 2014 and 2018, the municipality awarded private security services through direct procurement and prior consultation, totalling approximately 200,000 euros. The contracts concerned the Camping Park at Quinta da Aguieira, the local Sports Complex and Juncal Park.
The contracted companies — Suavinha and Strategystape — allegedly did not hold licences to carry out security activities, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office. The scheme aimed to favour Ronsegur, circumventing public procurement regulations.
A former security guard confirmed in court the existence of a connection between Ronsegur and Suavinha.
Francisco Guimarães is charged with three counts of misconduct in office and an equal number of document forgery offences. Evaristo Neves and Joana Silva face accusations of one and two counts of misconduct in office, respectively.
The administrators of the three companies and the companies themselves are likewise accused of multiple document falsifications.
The prosecution also seeks a ban on the former officials holding political office for a period of two to ten years, as well as the repayment of almost 93,000 euros to the state treasury, an amount corresponding to the unlawful profit obtained by the companies.
Source: Correio da Manhã