Four employees of the Loures Chamber convicted of corruption

Four inspectors of the Loures City Council were convicted of passive corruption, in a case that also resulted in the condemnation of 10 other defendants, residents in this local authority of the Lisbon district, for active corruption.

The Public Prosecution Service (MP) recorded on Tuesday that the crimes of corruption were committed between 2019 and 2021, during which the municipal tax defendants, « in the exercise of their functions of supervision of the legality of buildings in the areas of illegal genesis, received from a dozen residents, with buildings in these areas », counterparted in exchange for favors.

Among these counterparts are monetary amounts and other goods, including wine bottles and lunches.

In a statement, the MP stated that the decision to condemn the 14 defendants was taken on April 30 by the Central Criminal Court of Loures. The judicial authority points out that the judgment has not yet become final.

Two of the Fiscal defendants of the Loures Chamber were “sentenced to six years and three months in effective arrest, which adds the ancillary penalties of prohibition of the exercise of duties,” according to the judgment.

The other two municipal inspectors were sentenced to prison sentences, depending on the number of crimes committed, one year and eight months and two years and six months in prison, suspended in their execution between three and five years.

The suspension of penalties is subject to duties and the payment of amounts to an IPSS (private institution of social solidarity) ranging from 3,000 euros and 5,000 euros.

Regarding the other 10 defendants in this process, all citizens of Loures, each was sentenced to a penalty of “one year and six months in prison, suspended in its execution for a period of three years, subordinate to duties and the payment of the amount of 3,000 euros to an IPSS”.