António Pedro Santos / Lusa
The Assistant Minister and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida.
Castro Almeida sold to the other partners the 25% quota that held a furniture company. He says it was “all cool,” but they are suspected of conflict of interest due to the protection of the soil law.
The Deputy Minister and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, Sold last week a 25% quota Which had a real estate company – Quantun 98, LDA Real Estate Investments, based in Vale de Cambra and founded in 1998, according to.
After the controversy he involved (who also held two furniture companies), Casto Almeida went to the other partners. The company is intended for construction, architecture and Buying and selling real estate.
Now RTP speaks of “potential conflict of interest.” This is because the ministry that Castro Almeida directs has the direct protection of the new Soil law, which can benefit real estate agents like the oneallowing construction in a larger number of land.
Still, the minister will have communicated his company quota to the entity for transparency. Has, in fact, experience in the area of real estate, And he even had another company linked to the real estate branch, dissolved in 2016.
According to, when Castro Almeida was mayor of São João da Madeira, there were eight direct adjustments to a company of a partner, constructions Fernando Soares Ferreira. This company also won a public tender. The minister devalued, “What’s the problem?”
Luís Montenegro will also explain this Friday about the real estate that also had, whose quota sold to the woman.
However, Castro Almeida has already explained about the company: guarantees that “three or four weeks ago, in January, I decided to sell my quota because the idea that having a real estate company was an advantage with The Soil Law […] what It is a mistake, because the law applies to any citizen“.
“By my initiative I decided to cut evil from the root,” he told. He recalled that “now, in this government, I declared this company to the transparency entity. All clear, nothing hidden, everything cool“.
However, opposition parties ask for more explanations to the minister. The parliamentary leader of arrives, Pedro Pinto, says that the “Cases and Casinhos” in the government They justify the censorship motion presented by this party, which will also be discussed this Friday.
“It should have taken due diligence when it entered the government,” says Liberal Mariana Leitão, who will be IL candidate for presidentials.
Mariana Mortágua, from the Left Block, took the opportunity to criticize the Soil Law, which says it is a Invitation “To speculation and corruption“.
“We are talking about a law that is increasingly evident that it was made to the extent of the particular interests of some people,” added Pan’s Inês Sousa Real.
“Many politicians and a lot of politics have used to make money through luxury real estate that has given easy profits. Portugal has always had this choice. It’s not from today, ”said Rui Tavares, from Livre.
At this time, the PS, PCP and AD parties have not yet reacted.
