The document prepared by Viana do Castelo’s Finance Directorate is among the information requested last September by the Ministry of Public Administration and leaves no doubt: “There are strong indications that Mário Ferreira resorted to setting up companies in Malta to evade taxes in Portugal”. The information was made public this Friday during another court hearing on charges of aggravated libel by Ana Gomez and the businessman who owns TVI. For the former MEP, the contents revealed and delivered to Bolhao’s court only “confirm what she said.” Ana Gomes was referring to the fact that she called Mario Ferreira a “fraudster” and “tax criminal” in connection with the purchase and sale of the Atlantis. During the meeting, two witnesses were heard, one of whom was Frederico Silva, director of NEWCO, who was asked by the lawyer of Mario Ferreira to establish two companies in Malta, of which he became a director. While NEWCO is in charge of managing Mario Ferreira’s companies in Malta, Federico Silva said he never spoke to the owner of Media Capital. He made it clear that it was the lawyer Miguel Reis, who was given a power of attorney, who carried out the entire operation. He assured the judge that he did not know the reason for setting up companies in Malta. It should be remembered that the Atlantis was purchased for 8 million by Mystic Cruises, the company of Mario Ferreira, in 2014, which in the meantime sold it to its own company based in Malta for about 11 million. A month later, the ship was again sold for 17 million euros, this time to a Norwegian company.