This Wednesday, the board of directors of Start Campus appointed Robert Dunn as interim executive president of the company, with immediate effect, following the resignation of Afonso Salema and Rui Oliveira Neves, defendants in the influencer case.
“Robert Dunn brings with him extensive experience in delivering data center solutions, having previously held relevant positions in the industry,” Start Campus said in a statement.
The appointment follows the resignations of Afonso Salema and Rui Oliveira Neves, who served respectively as executive president, lawyer and administrator, two of the nine accused in the prosecutor’s investigation into lithium, green hydrogen and Sines Central Data. .
The company, which is itself a defendant in the legal proceedings, assured that it “continues to cooperate with the Portuguese authorities and provide all requested information in order to guarantee a full and impartial investigation of all facts.”
“Start Campus is guided by the highest standards in all areas of the business and at every stage of the project in Sines,” the company said in the same note, ensuring that it “remains committed to its activities and investments in Portugal.”
In this regard, the company said it is taking “all necessary measures to ensure business continuity and that its team, customers and commercial partners continue to receive the same level of high-quality service.”
Start Campus is developing a hyperscale data center of up to 495 megawatts (MW), powered by 100% clean energy, in Sines, recently opening the first of five planned buildings.
According to the statement, both shareholders, Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP and Pioneer Point Partners LLP, are “committed to developing one of the largest data center projects in Europe that will make a significant contribution to the energy transition, digital transformation of Portugal and respond to growing demand from international technology companies.”
On November 10, the Ministry of State (MP) detained five people: the chief of staff of the Prime Minister Vitor Escaria, the mayor of Sines Nuno Mascarenhas, two administrators of the Start Campus society Afonso Salema and Rui Oliveiro Neves, as well as a lawyer. Diogo Lacerda Machado, a friend of António Costa, who was released after the judicial interrogation.
In total, there are nine defendants in the investigation into lithium, green hydrogen and Sines data centers, including Infrastructure Minister João Galamba, Portuguese Environmental Agency President Nuno Lacasta, and lawyer and former PS representative João. Thiago Silveira and Start Campus.
According to the deputy, crimes such as malfeasance, active and passive corruption of political officials and influence peddling may be at stake.
António Costa became the subject of an investigation in the Supreme Court against a member of parliament after the suspects in the process named him because he intervened with the aim of unblocking procedures in the businesses under investigation, namely the approval of a diploma favorable to the interests of the company Start Campus.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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