The 16 accused in Operation Babylon received economic benefits of almost 40 million euros resulting from the alleged commission of crimes related to several real estate projects in Vila Nova de Gaia, the Ministry of State (MP) has concluded.
According to the indictment of the deputy, to which the Luza agency had access today, the projects in question are Hotel Azul, Hotel Riverview, Escarpa de General Torres, Garden Place/Hills, Riverside – Quinta de Santo Antonio and the Skyline project – Cultural and Convention Center (CCC) in Vila Nova de Gaia, in the Porto area.
The MP accused 16 defendants (six individuals and 10 companies) of dozens of economic crimes, namely corruption, malfeasance and money laundering, including former Gaia Chamber vice-president Patrocinho Azevedo, businessmen Paulo Malafaya and founder Elad Dror. the Fortera group and a dozen companies related to the real estate sector owned by the defendants.
The indictment by the Regional Department of Investigation and Criminal Affairs of Porto (DIAP) states that the former vice-president of the chamber, Gaia Patrosiño Azevedo, accused of 17 crimes, including passive corruption, commodified his position and turned it into a tool to serve the real interests of the accused. property interests and the companies they own in exchange for financial compensation and material benefits.
According to the deputy’s calculations, Patrocinho Azevedo, who will remain in pre-trial detention and who was also chairman of the Municipal Political Commission of the IPS of Vila Nova de Gaia, will receive an economic benefit of almost eight million euros, in favor of the defendants’ real estate projects, to the detriment of the interests of the municipality.
Paulo Malafaya, a developer also in custody, is accused of obtaining financial benefits amounting to almost seven million four hundred thousand euros, the same amount being attributed to the lawyer João Lopes, who, according to the indictment, is a friend of Patrocinho Azevedo and an intermediary between entrepreneurs in the field real estate and former mayor of Gaya.
As for Elad Dror, founder of the Frotera group with Israeli capital, he received an economic benefit of almost seven million and 100 thousand euros.
Luisa Aparicio, who led the Municipal Directorate of Urbanism and Environment of Gaia from June 8, 2015 to October 3, 2022, will receive a benefit of 471 thousand euros, the same amount that the deputy assessed for Jordi Vilanova Busquets, economist, Spanish nationality and with interests in the real estate industry, common to other defendants.
Ribaltcelabration, Mercan Property Panoramic, Mercan Property River, Semana Soberana, Attic, Fortera Proprieties, Basic Connetion, Warrior Shadow, Noble Faces and NewBox, owned by the defendants, most of whom are Elad Dror, will receive benefits of almost nine shares. million euros.
“In short, these amounts [valor global de quase 40ME] represent benefits from criminal activity received by the accused by committing crimes, that is, they transmit economic benefits directly or indirectly arising from this fact for themselves and for third parties,” explains the deputy.
In the indictment, the deputy asks to oblige the defendants to pay the state jointly and severally the appropriate amounts, since they “correspond to the benefits from the criminal activities they carry out.”
Operation Babylon focuses on the alleged abuse of city licensing processes to favor promoters of high-density, high-scale projects with real estate interests valued at around €300 million through the offer and acceptance of funds. compensation.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Tifany Hawkins, a professional journalist with years of experience in news reporting. I currently work for a prominent news website and write articles for 24NewsReporters as an author. My primary focus is on economy-related stories, though I am also experienced in several other areas of journalism.