Former Espinho Mayor Joaquim Pinto Moreira, whose residence was raided by the Judicial Police (PJ) on Tuesday, claims the current city council chief executive is holding the previous management responsible to “distract attention.”
At stake is Operation Whirlwind, which, according to the SP, includes about 20 searches of residential and non-residential premises carried out by this municipality in the Aveiro region, residences of Chamber employees and several companies based in Espinho and Porto. and which led to five confirmed arrests.
One is the Socialist incumbent Mayor Miguel Reis, and the other is the head of the ward’s operations department, José Costa, whose arrests were reported to Luz this afternoon by the president’s chief of staff, Nuno Cardoso: mandate.”
The residence of Joaquim Pinto Moreira was also raided, but enjoying parliamentary immunity due to his current duties as deputy and vice-president of the PSD bench in the Assembly of the Republic, this mayor publicly responded to this issue only after Lusa made public he classifies as “biased misinformation” relayed by a PS executive.
“I categorically reject the statements of the Chief of Staff of the Mayor Espinho, who irresponsibly and inappropriately wanted to divert attention from the investigation, in the epicenter of which, of course, I am not,” Pinto Moreira said in a statement.
“Also, I reject attempts to contaminate information with materials that are completely absent from any investigation,” he adds.
The former mayor, now a deputy, states that “the investigative context [da Operação Vórtex] refers to 2022 and refers to outstanding investment intentions and urban planning operations carried out under the current municipal mandate, although some of them may have been carried over from previous mandates.”
Pinto Moreira also reveals material that the bailiff seized from his home: “My professional computer, which I use in my legal practice, and my phone. Nothing else was seized, be it a document or any other item.” .
The communiqué ends with a statement of his “full readiness to cooperate with the establishment of the truth and with the judiciary in the conditions and decisions for those who make” and concludes: “If a waiver of my parliamentary immunity is requested, I will be fully available to, in any capacity cooperate fully with justice.”
After three terms as mayor of Espinho between 2009 and 2021, Pinto Moreira was elected for the first time as an MP in the 2022 legislative elections for the constituency of Porto. He rose to vice-president of the Social Democratic bench under Joaquim Miranda Sarmento after Luis Montenegro, also born in Espinho, became president of the PSD, and from 4 January he presided over the Social Democratic Party. representation of the Possible Constitutional Review Commission, as nominated by your party.
Pinto Moreira was, in fact, one of Montenegro’s main supporters in its rise to leadership, proving to be one of the few prominent militants who personally followed the moment when the current SDP leader challenged the then president in January 2019. Rui Rio to name the early directions.
In addition to the current mayor of Espinho, Miguel Reis, Operation Vortex has made at least four other arrests.
According to the joint venture, all detainees were charged with committing crimes related to active and passive corruption, evasion, abuse of power and use of influence for personal gain. The investigation concerns “real estate projects and related licensing”, all of which “concern apartment buildings and hotel complexes” affecting “tens of millions of euros worth of city interests processed for the benefit of certain economic operators”.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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