The Braga Court decided today not to bring to trial the Mayor of Vieira do Minho, António Cardoso, who was accused by the Public Ministry of malfeasance and abuse of power.
In the process, councilors Afonso Barroso, Paulo Miranda and his sister were also accused, all accused of the same crimes and who have now been equally dismissed.
António Cardoso, Afonso Barroso and Paulo Miranda were elected by the PSD / CDS coalition in 2013.
At issue is the process of internalizing the defendant in the Chamber, after the dissolution, in 2013, of the Municipal Public Water, Waste and Equipment Company (EPMAR) of Vieira do Minho, in which she was the director of services.
The MP dismissed the accusation, considering that the defendants had “circumvented” the legal rules to favor the defendant.
The defendants requested the opening of an investigation and today the judge decided not to bring them to trial, as there was no evidence of any crime.
“There was no conduct of the ‘against law’ process, with the intention of benefiting the defendant”, reads in the dispatch of non-pronunciation.
After the dissolution of EPMAR, and at a time when the municipality was still led by the PS, the defendant did not want to join the collective dismissal process nor did she accept the City Council’s proposal regarding the granting of public interest, as she did not agree with the wage reduction that this implied in relation to what he earned in the company.
In the company he received 1,956 euros and in the Chamber he would receive 1,201.
In September 2013, due to the municipal elections, the PS lost the Chamber to the PSD / CDS coalition.
The new executive decided to conclude an agreement with the accused public interest transfer, for one year, with a remuneration of 1,750 euros.
The investigating judge states that, by virtue of this transmission, the defendant “had the right to join the Chamber staff, maintaining the remuneration status”.
After one year, the defendant was forced to apply to stay in the chamber, receiving 1,201 euros.
For the judge, “all this erroneous procedure” resulted in “flagrant damage” to the defendant’s rights, namely within the scope of the remuneration statute.
“Claudica completely complains about the accusation”, he underlined.
The Vieira do Minho Chamber issued today a statement in which it was the ex-president of the municipality and the local PS Jorge Dantas who filed a complaint with the Public Ministry (MP).
“Those targeted are now considering filing a complaint against ex-mayor Jorge Dantas, because he did not allow that employee to use his internalization rights, as the law gave him,” the statement said.
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