Trials against the three men detained in the anti-corruption operation in Madeira are due to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday at the Central Criminal Court in Lisbon, the defendants’ lawyers said.
The information was given to journalists by the lawyers of the two detainees outside the court, in the Justice Campus, who also reported that the day was marked by formalities and the facts were read to the defendants on Tuesday afternoon.
The defendants stood and listened to the reading of the facts, which lasted about four hours, despite the fact that at least one of the lawyers, Paulo Sae Cunha, defending the former mayor of Funchal Pedro Calado, said that “this is not necessary.” .
“Tomorrow [quarta-feira] We will begin interrogations, I hope,” the lawyer said, stating that he “hopes that the interrogations will be completed by the end of the week.”
According to a judicial source, the announcement of the facts had already taken place at 16:00 and it was Judge Jorge Bernardes de Melo who asked that, as an exception, employees not go on strike on Tuesday during overtime and that work hours be extended. from 17:00 to 20:00 so that procedures can be expedited.
Despite this, it was not possible to begin interrogations of the former mayor of Funchal Pedro Calado (NSD) and businessmen Avelino Fariña and Custodio Correia.
The three men were arrested last Wednesday, and on Tuesday, for the seventh night, they returned to the dungeons of the judicial police.
Asked whether, due to delays in all procedures, detainees could be released early so they could wait outside the prison for interrogation and familiarization with coercive measures, Paulo Sae Cunha said that would be a “great achievement.” idea”.
“It was completely justified. I would like the prosecutor’s office to facilitate this,” he said.
“I think that this would be a gesture of respect for fundamental rights, because if you count, the 48-hour period that the law provides for the beginning of the interrogation is what is in the law, this is not a representation, this is the beginning of the interrogation – it has already multiplied by three. We already had this three times in the 48 hours before this Tuesday. (…) I am sure that no one will run away and no one will escape the action of justice,” he added.
Tuesday’s proceedings began after 9:00 a.m., and Paulo Sae Cunha said late in the morning that he was “able to begin questioning as soon as possible” after the defense reviewed the case documents.
On Saturday, a judicial source said the investigation should start with businessman Custodio Correia, the main shareholder of the civil engineering group Socicorreia, then Avelino Fariña, leader of the construction group AFA, and finally the now former president of Funchal. Chamber of Pedro Calado.
The interrogations were supposed to begin on Saturday, but were then postponed to Monday. However, lawyers demanded to see documents seized during the searches, which is why the hearing was again postponed until Tuesday, a court source said.
Pedro Calado, Avelino Fariña and Custodio Correia were arrested on Wednesday after some 130 searches in and outside homes carried out by the PS, mainly in Madeira, but also in the Azores and several areas of the continent.
The operation also affected the president of the regional government (PSD/CDS-PP), Miguel Albuquerque, who was named as a defendant and announced his resignation from his position on Monday.
According to the joint venture, we are talking about suspicions of active and passive corruption, economic participation in business, malfeasance, receiving or offering undue advantages, abuse of power and influence trading.
According to court documents to which Lusa had access, the ministry states that the president of the regional government of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque (PSD), the former president of the Funchal city council, Pedro Calado (PSD), and the leader of the AFA construction group, Avelino Fariña, “over time developed a relationship of particular intimacy and trust” that benefited this business group “in violation of the rules of free competition and government procurement.”
Among the contracts subject to criminal investigation, according to court documents, are the concession for public road passenger transport services on the island of Madeira, the concession for the Curral das Freiras cable car, the Praia Formosa project and Funchal Jazz 2022-2023.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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