The prosecutor recommended the court should impose sentences ranging from five to nine years of imprisonment for Miguel Reis and Pinto Moreira at the end of closing arguments, which took nearly five hours.
The same sentence was requested for the former head of the Division of Private Works and Licensing at Espinho City Council, José Costa.
For businessmen Francisco Pessegueiro and Paulo Malafaia, as well as architect João Rodrigues, sentences between three and seven years of imprisonment were proposed.
Finally, sentences between two and five years of imprisonment were requested for Pedro Castro e Silva and Álvaro Duarte, two former leaders of the Espinho City Council.
The prosecutor noted that the defendants should all be convicted of the crimes they have been charged with, except for Paulo Malafaia, against whom only partial involvement in certain cases was established.
She emphasized that Francisco Pessegueiro provided a meaningful contribution to uncovering the material truth, showing sincere remorse, a situation that should be considered by the court.
Based on the evidence presented during the trial, the prosecutor stated that essentially all the facts in the indictment were proven, noting that the crimes the defendants are accused of “are very serious (…) significantly undermining the credibility of democracy and eroding citizens’ trust in their institutions.”
“By transacting their positions, the defendants were placing functional powers in the service of private interests, using and abusing the positions they held,” she concluded.
The prosecution argues that there was a pact between Pessegueiro, João Rodrigues, and Paulo Malafaia, benefiting from their relations with the two former mayors.
The prosecutor did not confirm that Miguel Reis received 50,000 euros from Francisco Pessegueiro, as the indictment suggests, stating that the mayor asked for the money but did not receive it by mere chance, as already admitted by the businessman during the trial.
However, it was established in court that the former mayor received five thousand euros and furniture for his home in exchange for functional acts.
Regarding Pinto Moreira, it was noted that he requested 50,000 euros for “political maneuverings” in two urban development projects, an amount Pessegueiro offered to pay.
The Vórtex case began being tried in the Espinho Court, in the Aveiro district, on September 5, 2024.
The case involves alleged acts of corruption related to real estate projects and urban licensing in the Espinho City Council, involving two former Presidents of the municipality, Miguel Reis (PS) and Pinto Moreira (PSD).
The operation culminated on January 10, 2023, with the arrest of then Espinho City Council President Miguel Reis, the head of the Urbanism and Environment Division of the municipality, an architect, and two businessmen on suspicion of corruption, malfeasance, abuse of power, and influence peddling.
On July 10 of the same year, the prosecution charged eight defendants and five companies. Besides Miguel Reis, who resigned as President of the Espinho City Council following this investigation, his predecessor Pinto Moreira was also indicted.
On November 24, 2023, the Porto Criminal Investigation Court decided to try all the defendants, practically in the exact terms of the indictment, only reducing the number of charges against one of the companies.
Miguel Reis is accused of four crimes of passive corruption and five of malfeasance, while Pinto Moreira faces charges of two crimes of passive corruption, one of influence peddling, and another of breaching urban planning rules.
Businessman Francisco Pessegueiro is accused of eight crimes of active corruption, one of influence peddling, five of malfeasance, and two crimes of breaching urban planning rules.
Miguel Reis and Francisco Pessegueiro were held in pre-trial detention but have since been released.
[Updated at 17:16]
The prosecutor from the Public Ministry (MP) in the Vórtex process, involving two former presidents of Espinho City Council, stated today that businessman Francisco Pessegueiro, the main defendant in the case, “has acknowledged the truth of the facts.”
