Arrested for corruption in Madeira free

Corruption suspects in Madeira were released this Wednesday after spending three weeks in custody. The accused were required to have identification and residence permits.

“If the defendant Custodio Ferreira Correia, the defendant José Avelino Fariña and the defendant Pedro Miguel Amaro de Bettencourt Calado are not accused of committing any crime, they must await further conditions of the trial, taking into account the measure of compulsion to establish their identity and place of residence. “, reads the document to which CM had access.

In response, the ministry will appeal against the application of a lesser precaution against former Funchal mayor Pedro Calado and businessmen Avelino Fariña and Custodio Correia, who are under investigation in Madeira for alleged corruption.

“The Ministry of State will file an appeal,” an official source in the Office of the Prosecutor General (PGR) told Lusa regarding the decision of Judge Jorge Bernardes de Melo of the Central Criminal Court (TCIC) of Lisbon, which determined this Wednesday afternoon the “immediate” release of the accused .

The accused will be able to return to Madeira this Wednesday or tomorrow.

After leaving the court, the three lawyers were satisfied with the decision.

Andre Noronha, Custodio Correia’s lawyer, said that “the system worked well in reaching the decision,” adding that thought was needed on the part of the prosecutor’s office (MP).

Avelinho Fariña’s lawyer, Raul Soares, also said that this was the most correct decision, despite the restriction of freedom of the defendants. Regarding the wait time to learn about enforcement actions, the lawyer emphasized that if the process “was very fast, it would be terrible for the defense.” In response to the appeal filed by the deputy, Avelino Fariña’s defense stated that, given the decision made by the judge, there is no chance of success.

Pedro Calado, Paulo Sae Cunha’s lawyer, spoke about the lack of evidence and the need to transfer the case to the archives, expressing regret over the detention of the three suspects for so long.

Pedro Calado, Avelino Fariña and Custodio Correia were arrested after some 130 searches of houses and other properties carried out by the PS, mainly in Madeira, but also in the Azores and parts of the continent.

These included allegations of active and passive corruption, economic involvement in business, malfeasance, receiving or offering undue advantages, abuse of power and abuse of influence.