The Guimarães Court of Appeal has confirmed the conviction of the former mayor of Mursa for malfeasance, embezzlement and aggravated forgery, the Porto regional prosecutor general’s office said on Friday.
On May 30, the Vila Real court sentenced Joao Teixeira, who was President of the Mursa Chamber between 2001 and 2013, elected by the PS, to a suspended prison sentence of three years and six months for crimes related to official misconduct and forgery of documents in aggravating circumstances.
The former mayor was also sentenced to pay a fine of 800 euros for embezzlement.
João Teixeira appealed and the Court of Appeal of Guimarães “deemed completely without merit” the appeal filed by the defendant, fully confirming the decision of the Vila Real Judicial Court.
The information was published this Friday on the website of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Porto region, and the court decision is dated January 9, 2024.
According to the statement, it was proven that the defendant, then President of the Chamber of Mursa, was part of his wife and husband Secretary of the Presidential Administration in the municipal delegation that traveled to Angola from June 30, 2013 to June 7. July 2013 to enter into a twinning protocol, doing so without any discussion or permission from the council.
Although the two individuals do not work for the municipality or have any other professional relationship with it, the costs of two plane tickets and consular visas costing €3,193 were borne by the municipality, “thus jeopardizing their financial and property interests.” . .
It was also proven that the procedure for concluding a trip with a travel agency for the entire accompanying person – air tickets and consular visas – for a total amount of 9,580 euros – was, by order of the defendant, divided into two parts: one in the amount of 4,680 euros and another 4,900 euros in order to “bypass public procurement rules , which, when taking into account the aforementioned global acquisition costs, impose more stringent procurement procedures.”
At the beginning of the trial in Vila Real, on April 18, 2023, the accused denied any crime and claimed that the two people, one of whom was his wife, were invited by local authorities to travel to Angola during the visit of a delegation from that African country to municipality of Mursa, Vila Real district.
He also explained that at that time, due to health problems, he did not travel without his wife and that his secretary’s husband knew the Angolan territory in question well and that in that country he also worked as a driver for the Portuguese delegation. .
The former president pointed to an error in the municipal protocol, which did not reflect the discussions of the municipal delegation that went to Angola, and denied that he had ordered the distribution of expenses to the travel agency that handled the process.
João Teixeira was tried 10 years after leaving his cell.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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