Former Faro civil protection commander tried on suspicion of filling a swimming pool with fire brigade supplies

This Friday, the former operational commander of the Municipal Civil Protection of Faro began to be tried on suspicion of using the resources of the Firefighters Sapadores to supply an inflatable swimming pool in the motorcycle club that he led.

The facts relate to the period from 2015 to 2019, when Jose Tomas Valente was the president of Moto Malta and repeatedly ordered firefighters to use water tankers to unload water at club events or at its premises.

At the first hearing in the Faro court, the former commander denied that he had acted without authorization, saying that a meeting had taken place with the municipality at which the annual logistical support provided by the municipality for events and other activities was agreed upon.

“I never felt like I was doing anything harmful,” the defendant said in court, adding that he believed he was not acting against the law because requests were not always subject to written permission.

According to the indictment, Jose Tomas Valente took advantage of his duties, as well as the availability of vehicles and water from the barracks network, to supply an inflatable pool that was used at Moto Malta club events.

Prosecutors say that on July 15, 2015, the former commander ordered a firefighter to fill a tanker truck with 12,000 liters of water and unload it in Santa Barbara de Nexe, where a club event was taking place.

According to the prosecution, two days later a new order followed, in the same place, but this time for eight thousand liters, the situation was repeated on August 6, with an order to dump the same amount of water, but at the Moto Malta facilities. .

In 2016, the prosecutor’s office reported three more situations: one on April 30 – unloading eight thousand liters in the club building, and two others – on July 20 – transporting and unloading 12 thousand liters at a time.

According to José Tomas Valente, these discharges were not only due to the holding of Moto Malta events in areas of pine forest without access to water, but also to the filling of the club tank that supported the Moto Clube de Faro.

According to the former commander, during the Faro International Motorcycle Concentration organized by the Motorcycle Club, Moto Malta cooperated with the organization by serving lunches, using water and carrying out cleaning and maintenance work.

Finally, on 10 September 2019, José Tomás Valente ordered four thousand liters of water to be supplied to the village fire engine, along with water from the barracks network, so that it could be unloaded at the headquarters of Moto Malta, which had meanwhile changed location. sites from Pontes de Marchil to the Mar and Guerra areas.

The former commander emphasized that at the first headquarters of the club there was tap water, which was paid for by the municipal company Fagar, as well as a tank in which water was stored, but whose capacity should not exceed nine thousand liters.

José Tomas Valente said in court that nothing was ever done “in secret” and that these instructions were given in a “transparent” manner as part of the annual logistical support that the municipality provided to the club, especially for events.

The defendant also said the trial had a “profound impact” on his life as he suddenly felt like a “criminal” and his youngest daughter had to receive psychological support because she thought her father was going to be arrested.

The investigation was initiated following a criminal complaint filed by Fire Deputy Chief 1st Class Sapadores de Faro.

José Tomás Valente was appointed in 2015 as municipal operational commander of the Civil Protection Service of Faro by the still in office President of the Chamber, Rogerio Bacalhau.

He will resign from his position after filing the complaint by mutual agreement with the mayor and because he feels he cannot continue working, he told the court.