The trial of 149 people accused of fraudulently obtaining subsidies for the purchase of agricultural equipment began this Monday in the Guarda court, with a group of judges disqualifying the defendants who did not intend to testify from the hearings.
Essentially, the first meeting was aimed at identifying the accused and defining criteria to speed up the process. One of the decisions of the group of judges was to exempt defendants who do not want to testify and should appear only if and when the Court requires it.
Given the scale of the trial, the trial is taking place at the premises of the Business Association of the Guarda Region (NERGA) in the city’s industrial park. Hearings are scheduled for July.
In addition to the 149 defendants, 136 witnesses and 70 lawyers are participating in the trial.
The second meeting is scheduled for this Tuesday.
The indictment involves the improper receipt of subsidies by businessmen and farmers from the districts of Guarda and Castelo Branco, who purchased tractors and other equipment from two companies based in Guarda at the expense of the community between 2010 and 2013.
The acquisitions were carried out as part of investment projects approved by the Institute of Agriculture and Fisheries Finance (IFAP) through the Regional Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries Center (DRAPC) under the Program for Rural Development (PRODER).
The indictment states that “through the use of invoices that did not correspond to the actual value at which the equipment was sold, and therefore through false (false) documents, financial support (subsidies) was (wrongly) provided on the cost, which were not true.” correspond to the actual paid values, which amounted to a global amount of 331,266.09 [euros] in case of farmers who purchased equipment from MTA, and 37,350.29 [euros] regarding equipment purchased from MAQUIGUARDA.”
154 investment projects were investigated: 100 with invoices issued by MTA (Comércio de Máquinas e Tratores) and 54 with invoices issued by MAQUIGUARDA (Comércio e Máquinas, Veículos e Equipamentos Lda.), both based in Guarda.
Discounts were applied to the purchase, but the invoices did not reflect the discounts provided by the companies. The investigation concluded that the rebates discovered were delivered to farmers or close family members by check, bank transfer or cash.
The defendants are accused of detriment to the government because the amounts presented in the payment requests did not correspond to the expenses actually paid for each of the invoices.
The indictment refers to “evil” and states that “everyone knew that their behavior was prohibited and punishable by criminal law.”
According to prosecutors, the 148 defendants committed the crime of fraud in obtaining a grant or subsidy, punishable by two to eight years in prison.
There were initially 155 defendants in the case, as stated in the indictment, but some of them have already died.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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