This Thursday, PSD/Gaia, in a statement, demanded from the City Council the disclosure of information about the internal audit announced in 2023 by President Eduardo Vitor Rodriguez after Operation Babel, in response to the statement of the head, who is still under investigation.
In a press release, the local SDP notes that at the May 20 chamber meeting it “requested access to a technical audit,” noting that “to date, the mayor has not provided this as required by law.”
“We consider it necessary to disclose information about the relevant inspection! We cannot even understand why the mayor does not make public the inspection,” the message says.
In response to Lusa, the Porto District Municipality wrote that “regarding the internal audit announced by the President of the City Council in May 2023, a procedure was established for this purpose by Gayurb E.M. with the same statement. and depending on the stage of the investigation of processes No. 1/22.8KRPRT and 399/23.0KRPRT.”
“In this sense, the review has the same reserve status as the investigation in question,” adds the response from the executive with the Socialist majority indicating when it will be completed.
As a result of Operation Babylon, seven people were arrested on May 16, 2023, including then-Vice President of the Gaia Chamber Patrocinho Azevedo, businessman Paulo Malafaya and Fortera group founder Elad Dror.
The defendants also include lawyer João López, Luisa Aparicio, who at the time of the events headed the Municipal Directorate of Urbanism and Environment of the Chamber of Gaia, a Spanish economist and 10 companies, most of which belonged to the Fortera Group, with Israeli capital associated with business and real estate development.
The case relates to an alleged violation of the rules and regulations on city licensing processes in favor of promoters associated with projects of a high density and scale, with real estate interests at stake amounting to approximately €300 million, through the offer and acceptance of analogues of a monetary nature.
The investigation alleges that Elad Dror and developer Paulo Malafaya “agreed with each other to develop real estate projects in the city of Vila Nova de Gaia, namely projects called Skyline/Cultural and Congress Center, Riverside and Hotel Azul.” counting on perceived favoritism from Gaia’s former deputy, who would receive money and material goods such as watches in return.
The former mayor of Gaya, who is in pre-trial detention, is charged with five crimes of passive corruption, four crimes of malfeasance, one economic participation in a business, one peddling of influence, one abuse of power and one crime of money. money laundering and four offenses of unlawfully obtaining or offering an advantage.
Real estate businessman Paulo Malafaya, who also faces the most serious enforcement action, is charged with three counts of active corruption, three counts of malfeasance, one count of economic participation in a business, one count of money laundering, one count of influence, one count of abuse of authority and four counts of obtaining or offering an improper advantage.
Prosecutors also charged Elad Dror with five crimes of active corruption, four of official misconduct, one of economic participation in a business, one of money laundering, one of influence peddling and four of receiving or offering an undue advantage .
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.