The trial of the former President of the Chamber of Caminha hears the decision of the court

This Thursday, the Viana do Castelo court will rule on the case of former Caminha mayor Miguel Alves and businesswoman Manuela Souza, accused by the Ministry of State (MP) of malfeasance.

The announcement of the decision is scheduled for 13.50.

In January, in closing arguments, a lawmaker demanded the conviction of two defendants accused of co-authoring malfeasance by a political official.

The parliamentarian’s prosecutor argued that documentary evidence and rules of experience supported the facts stated in the indictment.

“By delivering a guilty verdict, this court will restore justice,” he said.

The MP accuses Miguel Alves, who resigned as Assistant Secretary of State to the Prime Minister after learning of the indictment, of violating public procurement rules when he agreed with a businesswoman to provide communications consulting services for a municipality (in the district). de Viana do Castelo) “without any public procurement procedure”.

An indictment from the Regional Department of Investigation and Criminal Affairs of Porto (DIAP), to which Lusa had access, states that the case arose from “an anonymous complaint filed on the DCIAP portal.” [Departamento Central de Investigação e Ação Penal]”, July 3, 2019.

According to the indictment, in 2014, Miguel Alves and Manuela Souza, who used the surname Couto at the time of the events, “maintained contacts for the purpose of providing communications, image and communications consulting services to the municipality through the companies MIT and Mediana, owned and controlled by the defendant.

The former mayor’s lawyer, Miguel Alves, said the facts presented in court “do not support the charges” and noted that such cases “discredit institutions, undermine the democratic system and are enemies of the rule of law.”

José João Torrinha said the group of judges will “not only dispense justice” by acquitting the former mayor, but will also “actively promote the prestige of justice and the defense of the rule of law.”

The entrepreneur’s lawyer based his defense strategy on the fact that in order for malfeasance to occur, a contract must be concluded for work performed before April 2015, the date of the first contractual procedure between the municipality and Manuela Souza’s company.

“From a criminal point of view, there is no malfeasance, because there is no contractual process,” Nuno Brandao emphasized, demanding that the businesswoman be acquitted.

At the start of the trial, both Miguel Alves and Manuela Souza denied any wrongdoing in hiring the public relations consultancy.

“If I committed any violations, it was the actions of the company. [de Manuela Sousa]”, Miguel Alves said during the trial, admitting in court that he took advantage of the company because, knowing his expectations of receiving a contract with the Chamber of Caminha, he played a game of cat and mouse.