Miguel Alves
A report from the Court of Auditors destroys the contract between Caminha Chamber, at the time led by Miguel Alves, with the company Green Endogeneous. The former mayor risks having to return the money that the city hall spent.
The Court of Auditors (TdC) released a devastating report on the contract signed in 2020 between Caminha Chamber, then led by Miguel Alves, and the company Green Endogeneous (GE), for the construction of a Cross-Border Exhibition Center. The contract, which led to the advance payment of 369 thousand euros to GE, it was classified as a “simulated business” and a “fraud of the law”.
According to the TdC, the municipality accepted a scheme that involved the purchase of land and construction of the center by GE, with subsequent leasing to the Chamber for 25 years, through a income of 25 thousand euros per month. However, the advance payment, corresponding to the last year of rent, constituted illegal financing for the company, something prohibited to municipalities. The money, paid without guarantees, did not result in any work or refunds, as GE never acquired the land or started construction, says the .
The report highlights multiple irregularitiesincluding the lack of market consultation, the lack of validation of the cost-benefit study and the acceptance of data provided by the GE representative, Ricardo Moutinho, without verification. Among the unconfirmed allegations was GE’s belonging to a business group with assets exceeding 1.2 billion euros.
The decision was approved by the municipal executive with votes from the PS, despite warnings from the PSD. An external legal opinion was used to justify the legality of the contract, but the TdC considers that this does not replace the duties of the municipality. The lack of internal evaluation reinforced the responsibility of former mayor Miguel Alves.
The TdC concluded that the payment was illegal and charged Miguel Alves with a financial infraction that may force you to repay the R$ 369 thousand to the municipality. Alves, current president Rui Lage and a councilor still face fines that could reach 18,360 euros.
Miguel Alves left the Chamber in 2022 to take on the position of Deputy Secretary of State under António Costa, from which he resigned months later due to accusations in another case, in which he was recently acquitted. The case of the Exhibition Center remains under judicial investigation, with assets seized, although the TdC considers it unlikely that the municipality will recover the lost value.
