The Agriculture Minister on Monday believed there were no legal obstacles to the appointment of Luísa Sá Gomes as Deputy Director General of Veterinary Medicine, despite allegations of several crimes, including abuse of power.
“What I can say on this subject is that there is no legal impediment to the person being under a replacement regime at this time, which will soon end, not least because the competition to fill this position will be on January 23 ended”, supported Maria do Céu Antunes, in statements to journalists after a meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers of the European Union in Brussels.
According to today’s Público, Luísa Sá Gomes, a lawyer appointed as Deputy Director General of Veterinary Medicine, is charged with crimes of abuse of power, economic participation in business and forgery of documents.
The person responsible, appointed on a replacement basis, was sentenced to two years and three months suspended imprisonment in a case involving direct amendments to contracts for the construction and refurbishment of GNR stations and posts. However, in June 2021, the Lisbon Court of Appeal ordered a repeat of the trial for alleged errors in the first instance conviction.
Despite the journalists’ insistence, Maria do Céu Antunes insisted that “there was no impediment that would allow or prevent the person from being appointed under a substitute regime”.
The official added that Luísa Sá Gomes “already holds a leading position in the Ministry of Agriculture”.
At this point, he said the Commission for Recruitment and Selection for Public Administration (CReSAP) is finalizing the selection of candidates: “We look forward to having the list submitted to us at all times so that the candidate to be selected can fill the position. “
Source: DN
