General-Secretary of Lisbon City Council suspended over Christmas lights scandal

The General-Secretary of Lisbon City Council, Alberto Laplaine Guimarães, one of four detained in Operation “Lúmen” which is investigating alleged economic crimes in contracts for the installation of Christmas lights in the city, has been suspended from his duties by an investigating judge.

In addition to the “immediate suspension (from Tuesday) from his executive roles at the Lisbon municipality, Porto’s Criminal Instruction Court (TIC) has also ruled,  as coercive measures, a ban on entering  Lisbon city council premises  or attending its meetings, of contacting any municipal employee or any of the defendants in the case.

The order signed by criminal investigation judge Pedro Miguel Vieira, who heard the defendants in the first judicial questioning, says that the president of the Union of Commerce and Services Associations (UACS), Carla Salsinha, was “immediately suspended from exercising roles” at the association.

Furthermore, she is also banned from visiting the association’s offices and from contacting UACS employees and the other defendants in the case.

A director at the festival/festive illuminations company Castros Iluminações Festivas, based in Vila Nova de Gaia, in the district of Porto, must provide a deposit of €100,000 within 10 days, and is also suspended from performing duties in the commercial companies he managed.

The defendant is also banned from visiting “the premises of the commercial company he manages”, as well as being prohibited from contacting “any worker and/or manager of the commercial companies related to him and mentioned in the case”, as well as with the remaining defendants in the case.

Judge Pedro Miguel Vieira says that two of the defendants stand “accused of committing 14 crimes of abuse of power”, and two of the defendants “are accused of committing at least one crime of passive corruption”.

Alberto Laplaine Guimarães was one of four detained on March 17 by the Judiciary Police (PJ) in operation “Lúmen”, which involves suspected crimes of active and passive corruption, economic participation in business, abuse of power and criminal association, related to the supply and installation of festive lighting.

Searches took place in 10 municipalities: Lisbon, Tavira, Lamego, Maia, Figueira da Foz, Viseu, Trofa, Póvoa de Varzim, Ovar and Santa Maria da Feira.

Source: Eco Online; Credits: Chris Graeme.