Vila Nova de Gaia City Council
Patrocínio Avezedo, former vice-president of the Gaia City Council
The city council is demanding compensation of R$50,000 from Patrocínio Azevedo for the damage that Operation Babel caused to the city’s image.
The Vila Nova de Gaia Chamber is about to witness the trial of 16 defendants in the so-called Operation Babel, which begins on January 20th at the Gaia Court. Among those involved is the former vice-mayor, Patrocínio Azevedo, accused of a total of 18 crimesincluding corruption, malfeasance, influence peddling and money laundering.
The investigation, which covers the period between 2020 and 2023, revealed an alleged scheme to favor real estate projects by the Fortera group, led by Israeli businessman Elad Dror. Azevedo is suspected of having received 125 thousand euros and four watches in return for the services provided.
The city hall and the municipal company Gaiurb have already filed compensation claims in the value of 50 thousand and 30 thousand eurosrespectively, to compensate for the damage to the image and reputation of the municipality, says .
The City Council considers that, if illicit acts are proven, the reputational and credibility damage will be severe, affecting the good name and well-being of residents, in addition to compromise the attractiveness of Vila Nova de Gaia for future investments. Despite the accusations, the city hall emphasizes that there were no gross violations of urban planning rules in the projects in question.
Another central name in the case is Paulo Malafaia, real estate developer and also accused in a similar case in the Chamber of Espinho. Malafaia is accused of acting as an intermediary, facilitating illicit trading in exchange for payments. Elad Dror admitted to having handed over 25 thousand euros to Malafaia to facilitate bureaucracy related to a real estate project. However, Dror denied any intention to directly bribe Patrocínio Azevedo.
Patrocínio Azevedo, currently in preventive detentionresigned as vice president and as leader of the PT party, but claims to be innocent. The trial will be held in a specially prepared room at the Guaíba Court, with sessions scheduled for Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
