For the suspension of her sentence, Goreti Machado must pay 10,000 euros to the State.
The former treasurer of the same parish union, João Marques, was also sentenced to four and a half years in prison and must pay 5,000 euros to the State for suspension of his sentence.
Both were convicted of two counts of misconduct.
The mayor’s son-in-law was sentenced to three years in prison, with a suspended sentence on the condition of paying 5,000 euros to the State.
The other businessman was sentenced to three and a half years, with a suspended sentence, requiring him to pay 7,500 euros to the State.
These two businessmen served as deputies in that Parish Assembly, elected by the PSD, the same party as Goreti Machado and João Marques.
The court found that, at least from October 2013, Goreti Machado and João Marques sought to economically benefit the other two defendants and invited them to supply goods and services to the municipality “without adhering to any stipulated procedure.”
The local officials merely contracted “verbally, without any formalization.”
As a result of that conduct, one of the businessman defendants was paid 144,617 euros between 2013 and 2019, and the other nearly 37,000 euros between 2013 and 2016.
“All direct adjustments,” the court emphasized, pointing out that there was a “collusion” among the defendants.
The presiding judge highlighted the “seriousness” of the defendants’ behavior, noting that public money management was at issue and urged them to engage in “introspective exercise.”
In a statement to Lusa upon the indictment’s release, Goreti Machado assured she never favored anyone to the detriment of the parish union.
She said that it wasn’t her making the orders, emphasizing that the municipality had an employee responsible for “checking the market for the cheapest options.”
She admitted that formal procedures were not always followed but assured that all purchases were approved by the parish council and, when required by amounts, by the assembly.
“There were necessities, someone was hired to do the service. It’s true that formal procedures were not always followed, but none of the juntas did that,” she added.
She explained that the amounts were spent on school repairs, which had “many electrical problems,” particularly the one in Nogueira, “endangering the children.”
Regarding her son-in-law, she said it concerned the supply of hygiene and cleaning products, such as toilet paper, bags, and detergents.
“I never harmed the junta,” she stated.
In court, she justified some purchases as “urgent situations,” but the panel of judges discredited this explanation.
Goreti Machado also cited some ignorance of the law, but the court was not convinced, countering that the former mayor has held political positions since 1993 and has a university education.
