The Madeira District Court has convicted former public servant and ex-mayor of Ponta do Sol, António Manuel Góis, on charges of embezzlement and document forgery in a continued form, revealed Joana Dias, the president of the panel of judges, during the reading of the verdict.
In addition to his conviction, Góis has been ordered to pay approximately two million euros, with 700,000 euros going to the State and the remainder to the Autonomous Region of Madeira, including the applicable interest for late payment.
Góis is also required to compensate the three assistants in the case with a total of 9,000 euros, with each receiving 3,000 euros, as specified by the judge.
This marks the third time the case has been tried. In 2018 and 2022, the defendant was sentenced with the same penalty, but appeals led to the annulment of both rulings due to procedural errors.
António Manuel Góis faced charges by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) for one count of embezzlement and 143 counts of document forgery, involving checks and other accounting records from the registry office.
The defendant, a former employee at the Registry of Commercial and Automobile Records in Funchal, also served as mayor of the municipality of Ponta do Sol on the island’s west coast.
The indictment detailed that the embezzlement occurred between 2002 and February 2010, during which Góis held the position of chief assistant at the registry office, overseeing accounting, revenue logging, deposits, and account and check transactions.
Further accusations by the MP claim that Góis was involved in falsifying accounts and manipulating record books, fee receipts, and financial transactions.
The discovery of a 20,000-euro bounced check triggered the suspicion, and investigations concluded that the misappropriated funds were used, among other things, to pay salaries and bonuses to players and coaches of Pontassolense.
