Former mayor of Espinho Miguel Reis, accused in the Vórtex trial, received at least 60,000 euros in “gloves” paid by businessman Francisco Pessegueiro, co-defendant in the trial, according to the accusation of the Public Prosecution Service (MP).
In the indictment, consulted this Friday by Lusa, the MP says that in May and September 2022, businessman Francisco Pessegueiro handed over Miguel Reis two envelopes with five thousand euros each to obtain benefits related to his real estate interests.
According to the researchers, Pessegueiro wanted to ensure that the “32 Nascente” project was approved quickly.
Later, on December 21, 2021, Pessegueiro will have handed Miguel Reis 50,000 euros as compensation for approving the architectural design of said development.
The MP also says that in October 2022, Francisco Pessegueiro had several pieces of furniture delivered to Miguel Reis’s house, worth 5,740 euros, which he accepted without paying, in exchange for the award of the architectural project for the “Golden 24” -company.
The indictment also states that, after the first contacts, in order to subject the new political decision-maker to his interests, Pessegueiro said that Miguel Reis (PS), whom he called the “owner of the white house”, was “ambiguous” and that he still “is not right”.
Later on, the businessman even confided that he was “more comfortable” with Miguel Reis than with the previous mayor Pinto Moreirastating that he was moving and was “really hungry”.
In fact, during a meeting with Miguel Reis, the businessman said: “All donkeys eat straw. You just need to know how to give it and I have so much straw to give”.
The former mayor of Espinho, who resigned from the mandate he was elected to in 2021 and who is under house arrest, was charged with four crimes of passive corruption and five of subterfuge by Porto’s Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP). the scope of the Vortex process.
Entrepreneurs João Rodrigues, Francisco Pessegueiro and Paulo Malafaia were charged (in co-authorship) with eight crimes of active corruption, one of influence, five of subterfuge and two of violation of urban rules.
Three other defendants and five companies were also charged with various economic and financial crimes.
The Public Prosecution Service has also requested the imposition of ancillary punishments prohibiting the civil servants from performing their duties and performing activities against one of the defendants who represents a company.
The pre-emptive seizure of the assets of the defendants was also requested, in order to safeguard the values obtained from criminal activities.
Operation Vortex involves several urban planning processes approved by the Espinho Chamber that have passed between the mandates of Joaquim Pinto Moreira and Miguel Reis.
Source: DN
