The opposition in the Câmara de Caminha accused this Friday the socialist majority of “playing with the public treasury”, by ordering an opinion of 20,000 euros for the multipurpose pavilion that they decided not to build.
“We do not understand why this ruling has already been revoked [o contrato para a construção do Centro de Exposições Transfronteiriço (CET)] (…) We are not talking about an opinion worth a thousand or two thousand euros. We are talking about 20 thousand euros???????? This is, to say the least, surreal”, said Liliana Silva, councilor elected by the coalition “O Concelho em Primeiro” (PSD/CDS-PP/Aliança/PPM).
Contacted by the Lusa agency in relation to the news released this Friday by the Público newspaper about a contract from the Câmara de Caminha for the preparation of an opinion, worth 19 thousand euros (plus VAT), after the executive decided, Unanimously, upon resolution of the CET construction contract, Liliana Silva considered that this decision “does not make any sense.”
“This CET, joking, joking, already made the Câmara de Caminha throw away more than 400 thousand euros???????? This is playing with people’s money”, highlighted Liliana Silva.
Contacted today by Lusa, the mayor of Caminha, Rui Lages, justified the elaboration of the new opinion with the “commitment” that he assumed before the municipal executive.
“Whatever the outcome, it may be useful for us in the legal strategy going forward,” he said.
On the 16th, the Chamber of Caminha unanimously approved the termination of the lease agreement for purposes other than housing held, in 2020, between the former president of that autarchy and former Secretary of State attached to the Prime Minister, Miguel Alves, and the Green Endogenous limited company, owned by Ricardo Moutinho, for the construction of the CET.
According to Público, the mayor, Rui Lages, signed a contract on Monday with a law firm whose purpose is to prepare an opinion on a matter that has already been decided at the mayor’s own proposal. The legal opinion, which will cost 19,950 euros (plus VAT), was entrusted to Sérvulo & Associados and must be issued within 30 days by Rui Medeiros, a professor at the Catholic University and partner of that law firm.
The announcement of the opinion request was made by Rui Lagesin a session of the town hall, on the 2nd.
In that session, in addition to the opinion, Rui Lages informed the municipal executive that the promoter Ricardo Moutinho was available to pay a guarantee or take out a mortgage to build the CET, which never happened and which led to the termination of the contract approved by the municipal executive on the 16th.
On the occasion, Rui Lages said that “he would activate the legal mechanisms so that the City Council has in its possession the money that was advanced as rent for year 25 of the CET rental contract and all other necessary procedures.”
In April 2021, the municipality advanced an amount of 369,000 euros to the promoter to carry out the work, which was never carried out and is being investigated by the Public Ministry (MP). Of this amount, 300 thousand euros served as an advance payment of the income for year 25 of the lease contract and 69 thousand euros related to the payment of VAT.
Source: Observadora
