Hernâni Dias, former president of the Chamber of Bragança
The Secretary of State for Local Administration and Spatial Planning, Hernâni Dias, is being investigated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, on suspicions that he received compensation to benefit a construction company when he was mayor of Bragança.
At issue are the expansion works in the Bragança Industrial Zone which were attributed to the construction company Huila.
There are several doubts regarding the work and accounts and the case is being investigated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, after a complaint made to the Public Ministry Portuguese in October 2024.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation, but the one who is investigating is the European Public Prosecutor’s Officesince the work under suspicion received support from European funds.
The RTP1 program “” had access to the complaint and reveals that there are suspicions that Hernani Dias received counterparts to benefit Huila when he was president of the Chamber of .
The current Secretary of State stopped being mayor to join the Government of Luís Montenegro.
One of the alleged counterparts highlighted by RTP1 is a apartment in Paranhosin Porto, where Hernâni Dias’ son lived between 2016 and 2022, when he was study at university.
The land registry reveals that the apartment belongs to the son of one of the partners of the construction company Huila which won two major works in Bragança, during the mandate of Hernâni Dias, as highlighted by RTP1.
This apartment was purchased “seven months after the signing of the contract” between the city hall and the construction company for the expansion of works in the Bragança Industrial Zone, according to “Prova dos Fatos”.
“I don’t know everything you say”pointed out Hernâni Dias in a note sent to RTP1, promising that “in its own headquarters and to those entitled”, it will provide “all clarifications that may be requested on any and all matters”.
Expansion works in the Bragança Industrial Zone under suspicion
The expansion works of the Industrial Zone of Bragança raise several doubts and there are suspicions that the place accepted invoices for work not performed not value close to 800 thousand eurosas RTP1 also states.
The public channel had access to the minutes of the Chamber meetings, which indicate that they were transferred from the city hall to the construction company Huila almost 2.9 million eurosand still plus 150 thousand euros of the direct adjustment made during the course of the work for the earthworks of the lots.
An audit by the National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC) concluded that these R$ 150 thousand should not have been paid by the municipality due to the fact that these works are already part of the main contract.
It is thus verified “a difference of 160 thousand euros” between the total value of the work and the amount transferred by the municipality, points out RTP1, which notes that it did not have access to any proof that the construction company had returned the money it received in excess.
The expansion work received more than one million euros of European funding and the LNEC audit also concluded that there was false information in the application for community support.
Bragança’s new circular also raises doubts
There is still another work that is under suspicion, and which led to the construction of the city’s new ring road by the same construction company Huila.
As works will not have fulfilled what was plannednor the safety criteria for pedestrians, and the road presents difficulties in managing traffic and accidents, RTP1 also found out from experts.
This circular road should serve the Industrial Zone of Bragança, where there are more companies, but the exit route foreseen in the project for this location was not built. The municipality claims to RTP1 that there were problems in the “expropriation of land” to allow this.
Thus, the only exit to the Industrial Zone is the one that already existed and which does not allow maneuvers for larger vehicleslike trucks.
This work cost more than 5 million euros and also received support from European funds.
The Left Bloc has already requested an urgent hearing from the Secretary of State for Local Administration, but the request was rejected by PSD and PS in Parliament.
