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A co-president and a secretary of a parochial union in Barcelos were accused by the Public Ministry of embezzlement and violation of budget execution rules, the Porto District Attorney General reported today.
According to Barcelos newspaper, the mayor is José Dias, president of the Union of Parishes of Durrães and Tregosa, elected by the PS.
The accusation of embezzlement of funds from the DIAP of Braga indicates that the mayor diverted “to himself, appropriating it, fuel purchased for the needs of the parish, causing a loss of 1,386.71 euros” between April 2015 and February 2016 .
It also refers to the accusation that the accused mayor, “always acting as president of the parish council, and the other accused, secretary of said council, acting in a joint effort, from 2014 to 2017, asked several clients, who gave them to them Variable monetary co-payments to carry out road widening and paving works in the parish, using them to pay, at least in part, for said works ”.
The Public Ministry considers that the two defendants “disrespected (…) not only the income collection rules, but also the accounting rules that govern local authorities -since said income was never accounted for-, as well as the rules of competence of the autarky bodies themselves, because it corresponds to the parish assembly to accept donations ”.
Contacted by Lusa, the president of the Board, José Dias, said he was “surprised” by the accusation, assuring that he still had no knowledge of it.
“I honestly thought the case was closed,” he said.
The indictment is dated October 7.
José Dias expressed a “completely calm” conscience, assuring that he “never” used fuel from the municipality for his own benefit or asked for money from any inhabitant of the parish for works.
“I finished with my personal car serving the joint and never asked for a penny, was I going to use joint fuel now? Fortunately, I’m fine in life, I don’t need this at all, ”he said.
For the mayor, elected by the PS, the complaints that led to the process “can only be politically motivated.”
“There are people who really wanted to win the elections, but the people don’t sleep. In 2017, I was re-elected, for a second term, with 92.22 percent of the vote, and that seems to be hard to swallow, “he said.
News updated at 09:09 (10/16) with statements from the mayor.
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