Former Mayor of Espinho, Miguel Reis
A meeting between Miguel Reis and businessman Gaspar Borges points to the existence of an agreement between Borges and the previous mayor of Espinho, Joaquim Pinto Moreira, to pay more money to the company.
A meeting recorded in November 2021 among the then Mayor of Espinho, Miguel Reis (PS), and businessman Gaspar Borges, owner of Construtora ABB, revealed a impasse on the compensation of six million of euros claimed by the company.
The meeting, which took place two months after the PS took over the municipality, focused on the work of Railroad Rehabilification de Espinho (Recaf), the largest public intervention ever performed in the municipality.
According to the recording obtained by, Gaspar Borges required the payment of additional amounts to those already liquidated – 15.5 million euros – pointing to a total skid of 73.2%.
“We have to impute the responsibilities to someone. To the designers…”, said Miguel Reis, who also suggested courtto which the businessman replied that this outcome was already planned and would have been informally agreed with the previous executive, led by Joaquim Pinto Moreira (PSD).
Asked by Reis about why the previous executive did not make this commitment, Gaspar Borges replies: “What was arranged was to end the work and then in court, in court, make a deal. I told you this on the first day I met him. ”
Former President Pinto Moreira categorically denies the existence of any agreement and claims to be unaware of the situation of the work. Gaspar Borges refused to confirm the agreement, but admitted to participating in several meetings to Search for an extrajudicial solution. As there was no understanding, ABB advanced with cases in court.
To date, the Barcelos company has filed eight lawsuits against the municipality, between 2023 and 2024, in a total value of nine million euros. Among the cases are two lawsuits about the Sá Couto Elementary School, where it claims 2.1 million euros, and another about the municipal stadium. In response, the chamber’s lawyer, Nuno Castro Marques (former partner of Luís Montenegro in SP&M), accuses ABB in bad faith and deliberate attempt to obtain undue values.
ABB was the only contractor admitted to the contest Public of the work recaf, in 2017, and benefited from favorable legal opinions issued between 2019 and 2020 by the office of Luís Montenegro. ABB itself also provided concrete for the construction of the prime minister’s luxury housing in Espinho.
The construction company and the work are still under investigation of the Public Prosecution Service, in a criminal case in secret, without defendants constituted to date.
