The mayor of Felgueiras, Nuno Fonseca, the vice-president, the councilor for sports and the former head of administration, current deputy PS António Pedro Faria, are under investigation on suspicion of malfeasance.
According to documentation accessed by Lusa, the chief executive and two council members were named as defendants, and parliamentary immunity was lifted on January 24 by the Commission on Transparency and the Status of Deputies at the request of the prosecutor’s office. presented in November 2023 in connection with his constitution as a defendant.
In this investigation, carried out by the Porto Este District Prosecutor’s Office, the partner Nuno Fonseca and the brother of the councilor Joel Costa are also accused at this procedural stage.
The facts under investigation occurred between 2018 and 2020, during which António Faria, as head of the cabinet, was involved in five procedures for the direct provision of food services to two companies, one of which, according to the investigation, was then managed by the mayor. and his companion, and another belongs to the brother of Councilor Joel Costa.
Four of these municipal procedures were ordered by Chamber Vice President Fernando Fernandez and the fifth by President Nuno Fonseca.
Within these five procedures, Antonio Pedro Faria is charged with five crimes of completed malfeasance.
According to Portuguese criminal law, a situation in which a person holding a political position, in violation of the law, conducts or decides a process in which he interferes within the scope of his functions with the aim of thereby causing harm or benefit. somebody. The expected punishment is imprisonment for a term of two to eight years.
Lusa asked questions to the Felgueiras Chamber and its president regarding the matter, but received no response.
Former chief of staff Nuno Fonseca, who relinquished these responsibilities following his election as a PS deputy in the 2022 legislative elections, in a written statement sent to Lusa, suggested that he was aware of the facts stated by the Transparency Commission court, adding that he never was considered by the judicial authorities.
“At this point, until I am notified and until I am heard, I obviously do not want to comment on this matter,” he added.
He also expressed his desire to take up his duties as a deputy of the Assembly of the Republic if he is elected in the legislative elections on March 10.
“I am a candidate on the list of the Socialist Party of Porto and I understand that I have all the conditions to remain on the list, in which I occupy 19th place. If I am elected, I will take this seat because, as I said, I have not been notified yet and although I will prove my innocence,” he stressed.
The mayor of Felgueiras is serving a second term after being first elected by the Livre/PS coalition in the 2017 municipal elections.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.