Luis Carito, socialist vice-mayor of Portimão,
next to Jamila Madeira, a youth socialist leader.
A intricate web of criminal interests
benefited from millions of euros,
which were unlawfully obtained from the coffers of Portimao Urbis -
a company of Portimão municipal Council,
an agency with debts of over 169 million euros.
Luis Carito, vice-mayor of the socialist municipality,
has been arrested and acused of corruption and criminal association,
together with another four men.
The inspectors of the Judiciary Police,
which have been investigating the Portimao Urbis since 2011,
found the trail of large inflows and outflows of money
- a real carousel of bank transactions,
where money entered a number of private companies,
some of which are without any material assets or any employees.
The scheme of money circulation,
is so complex that the researchers are still examining the documents seized.
The authorities admit that there were links to tax havens.
The authentic 'Trojan Horse' for this assault on the Portimao Urbis,
according to evidence gathered by the investigation team,
is a company called Picture Portugal, of Luis Varela Marreiros and Artur Curado
- two businessmen arrested by PJ, last Wednesday,
along with the vice mayor, Luis Carito,
as well as councilman Jorge Campos
and the general director of Portimao Urbis,
Lelio de Branco.
A Picture Portugal -
providing services to the municipality under a Cinema City project,
which aimed to bring
film production to
Portimão
- worked in partnership with other companies,
property of Curado or Marreiros,
where the money was diverted to.
Some of these firms had headquarters in the Portimao Urbis building.
The Judicial Police believe the Picture Portugal Portimao Urbis
charged at least two million euros on studies.
The design of the City Cinema has been in project since 2009
and never came to pass,
except costing the tax-payers millions of euros.
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