Summary:
Judicial proceedings of the ‘AB INITIO’ case are delayed until next week.
Defendants, including Mayor Carlos Teles, will not be heard today due to ongoing Indictment Dispatch reading.
The defense team will request documentation to prepare their arguments, which may take hours or days.
Investigation involves allegations of corruption, including economic participation in business and illegal political financing.
At least 25 tender procedures from 2020 to 2024 are under investigation, exceeding one million euros.
Judicial Proceedings Stalled
The judicial proceedings of the ‘AB INITIO’ case have yet to progress to the first judicial interrogation of the eight detained defendants. João Nabais, the legal representative of Calheta’s Mayor Carlos Teles, stated that none of the implicated individuals will be heard today due to the ongoing reading of the Indictment Dispatch by Judge Susana Mão de Ferro. This phase is expected to be lengthy given the complexity of the case.
After the reading of the Indictment Dispatch, the defense team, composed of eight different lawyers, will request access to the documentation to prepare their arguments. This process could take hours or even days, delaying the first judicial interrogation.
Nabais expressed skepticism that the questioning phase would conclude before Monday, as no proceedings are expected during the weekend.
Current Status of the Detainees
The detained defendants were taken to the Funchal Prison for lunch after a busy morning of legal proceedings that ended around 12:35 PM and are set to resume at 2 PM today.
Details of the Investigation
In the context of the 'AB INITIO' operation, the following individuals are under investigation:
- Carlos Teles, Mayor of Calheta
- Humberto Vasconcelos, former regional secretary of agriculture
- Paulo Santos, former regional director of agriculture
- Bruno Freitas, President of IASaúde
- Businessmen Humberto Drumond and Miguel Nóbrega
- Daniela Rodrigues and Cecília Aguiar, employees of the Regional Secretariat of Agriculture.
They face allegations of crimes including economic participation in business, improper receipt or offering of advantages, malfeasance, and illegal financing of political parties. The Lisbon District Attorney's Office reports that the investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Unit and the Madeira Criminal Investigation Department is examining “contracts awarded by regional public entities through their representatives, political officeholders, and employees, to companies controlled by a single individual, as well as to other businesses managed by individuals with whom the same has friendly relations, violating public tender rules.”
At least 25 tender procedures conducted between 2020 and 2024 are under scrutiny, totaling over one million euros, excluding VAT.
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