Camara de Espinho has already asked the General Financial Inspectorate for an audit of the municipality’s activities in the field of urban planning.

The Espinho Chamber has already asked the General Financial Inspectorate (IGF) to review the municipality’s urban planning activities over the past five years, the municipality of the Aveiro region said on Tuesday.

In a statement sent to Lusa, the municipality said that the new mayor, Maria Manuel Cruz (PS), announced at the last executive meeting on Monday that she had already asked the IGF – Audit Authority to carry out inspection actions. to verify the legitimacy of the city government procedures in the municipality of Espinho over the past five years.

These actions, in the opinion of the municipality, will have a particular impact on the procedures referred to under Operation Whirlwind and those in which the persons under investigation are directly or indirectly interested.

María Manuel Cruz, cited in the same note, considered it necessary to “submit the municipality to the IGF and to the scrutiny of its inspectors”, which would allow the city council to “act effectively” in case of violations and seek to “restore a sense of confidence in autarky and its services”.

On the other hand, the Chamber said that all city licensing processes, requests for advance information, previous studies and architectural designs will be sent to municipal executive meetings to increase “transparency and oversight” on urbanism issues in the bosom. municipality.

María Manuel Cruz announced that she would immediately start checking the municipality on the 16th, when she took office as mayor, after Miguel Reis, in custody, resigned from office.

At that time, the mayor was ready to take on the definition of duties to the limit, without fear and seeking “to protect the functioning of municipal services.”

Former Espinho Mayor Miguel Reis (PS), an employee of the municipality and three businessmen were arrested on January 10 on suspicion of active and passive corruption, evasion of official duties, abuse of power and influence peddling in Operation Whirlwind.

The residence of Joaquim Pinto Moreira (PSD), the former mayor of Espinho between 2009 and 2021, was also searched and the computer and mobile phone of an Assembly of the Republic (AR) deputy were confiscated.

At the time, the Judicial Police (PJ) explained that the investigation was related to “real estate projects and related licensing relating to apartment buildings and hotel units affecting the interests of the city for tens of millions of euros processed for the benefit of certain economic operators.”