The president of the Entroncamento City Council, Ilda Joaquim, confirmed today the decision to halt Prolux’s construction project, approved unanimously during the September 22 council meeting for legal reasons. The businessman involved expressed skepticism about the decision’s “impartiality.”
“I confirm that the halt was decided in the council meeting, as it became evident that the garage was being constructed without any approval,” stated the local leader from Santarém district, who will not seek re-election on October 12.
The businessman and council candidate noted that the property in question had been purchased by Prolux from the current council president, raising, in his view, “legitimate doubts about impartiality” and falling within “the situations of impediment provided for in the Administrative Procedure Code.”
The council leader dismissed the accusation, explaining that the original project included a shed, a garage, and the alteration of a boundary wall, but “only the garage was constructed, which is the work currently completed.”
Ilda Joaquim explained that the process had previously been denied, with attempts to reach a compromise between the municipality and the company to make the project viable, though this was never formalized.
As construction continued, inspections were conducted, and technical reports supported the decision for an immediate embargo.
“The embargo has been carried out, with photographic records of the completed work, and the representative has been notified to submit a legalization request within 30 days. Otherwise, they face fines and demolition,” added Ilda Joaquim.
Regarding the political nature of the case, as Nelson Cunha is running for council leadership with Chega, the current president emphasized the decision was purely technical and legal.
“It is merely a technical procedure. [Regarding] the political consequences, people will draw their conclusions on voting day,” she stated.
However, the socialist council leader criticized the candidate’s behavior in municipal matters, noting previous denials accompanied by “offenses” and unauthorized image recordings, calling them “completely contrary to norms, extremely regrettable for a candidate for a position of this nature.”
When contacted, Nelson Cunha stated that “a construction embargo does not mean it is illegal, but that it is suspended by administrative decision, which can be reviewed or legally contested.”
According to Cunha, the initial licensing request received a favorable technical opinion but was denied by the president.
“Even so, I tried to cooperate. I made the changes required by the Urban Department, and there was even a verbal agreement to proceed only with the annex, so as not to harm workers,” he said.
However, the candidate accused the council leader of thwarting the process by not accepting a demand he considered abusive: “Because I did not agree to give part of my land for an ‘imaginary street,’ the whole process was blocked and the construction halted. In a serious council, corrections, not an immediate embargo, would have been notified.”
The businessman asserted that his company “has always acted with respect for legal and regulatory standards, submitting projects, making alterations as requested, and paying the due fees” to the municipality.
“I reiterate my full confidence in the competent legal and administrative mechanisms to clarify this process, rejecting any challenge to my honor or the seriousness of my candidacy,” he concluded.
Ilda Joaquim, meanwhile, denied any partiality, asserting that the measure applies equally to all cases of illegal construction and noted that, on the same day, another embargo was ordered for a project without a license.
“It has nothing to do with people; it has to do with processes,” she concluded, reiterating the administrative and legal nature of the procedure.
