António Pedro Santos/Lusa
Former Secretary of State for Local Administration and Territory Planning, Hernani Dias.
Former secretary of state guarantees that “no one knew what he was doing”, and He says he doesn’t even know “what he is being targeted” and explains that he didn’t declare a company because he understood that he didn’t have to do it.
Former Secretary of State for Local Administration and Territory Planning admitted this Tuesday in Parliament that there was a lack of political caution, but ensured that The Prime Minister did not know of the companies you created.
Heard at the Local Power and Territorial Power Commission, Hernani Dias acknowledged that it resigned due to the lack of caution “in the political dimension” and understanding that it should not be “an element harmful to the governance of the country.”
The former Secretary of State also assured that neither the Prime Minister, nor the minister of territorial cohesion, were aware of the creation of the two companies behind the case that led to their resignation and added that “No one knew what they were doing“.
“There was nothing here that was hidden, nothing that deserved any kind of censorship in relation to what was my performance. However, I would not be comfortable with me if, eventually, I was being a destabilizing element of government action. And so I presented my resignation, ”he said.
Hernani Dias in late January, after the controversy related to the creation, by itself, after entering the government, from the government that may benefit from the. It is the Secretary of State for Local Administration that protects the amendments to this Law.
Why didn’t you declare second company?
Hernani Dias stressed that It was “very cautious in the legal dimension, in the constitution of companies”reaffirming that the transparency entity endorsed the creation of the first company referred to in the case. However, it admits that it was not “so cautious in the political dimension, and this one was used by the parties.”
In the question phase, the parties insisted on realizing the reasons that led Hernani Dias not to communicate the creation of a second company to the transparency entity, contrary to what they did in the first company.
The former ruler explained that understood that I didn’t have to do it Because, contrary to what happened in the first case, it was not the one to enter the company’s capital stock, but the first company it constituted.
However, he added, sent on January 6 an electronic communication to the transparency entity to ask for clarification on this second company, which was not yet reply.
The Secretary of State guaranteed that it has not yet been “No use” The amendment to the soil law, nor “no land acquisition” or real estate, nor is it foreseen to be so.
“Today it is curious that we no longer judge people for what they have done, we want to judge people for what will supposedly do tomorrow and this is the case that we are treating here. Therefore, we are talking about what supposedly should be done on tomorrow, ”he added.
“I did not violate legislation, I did not commit any crime, I have nothing to hide. I would like to have access to some information to realize what I am being targeted, ”he said.
Even before being elected the new Secretary of State for Local Administration, it was already known that the former mayor of Bragança Hernâni Dias was involved in an investigation that runs in the Public Prosecution Service (MP) in the scope of the sale of a municipal land for the construction of a private hospital in the Transmontana city.
The sale, however annulled, was made at a price 75% below the market evaluation. But the MP is investigating the legality of the forgiveness of 229 thousand euros of municipal fees to the private hospital.
