Those working on Operation Marquis, the code name for the inquiry into the financial dealings of the former Prime Minister José Sócrates, have turned their attention to Vale do Lobo in the Algarve.
At a recent questioning in Lisbon, José Sócrates was asked to explain a decision by the Council of Ministers in 2007 which approved an altered land usage plan for the Algarve, and its possible connection with money transfers made in 2008 and 2009 to an account in Switzerland.
The changes to the land use plan, PROTAL, may have benefited the owners of Vale de Lobo which included the Luso-Angolan entrepreneur Helder Battaglia who also was the President of Espírito Santo company ESCOM.
Recent press reports highlight the name of Dutch millionaire Jeroen van Dooren who bought a plot of land at Vale de Lobo in 2007, paying €4.3 million.
Van Dooren says he then was asked by Vale de Lobo’s boss Gaspar Ferreira to stump up another €2 million which was paid into Ferreira’s bank account.
The additional money allegedly was to ensure the Dutchman 'could appoint his own architect and builder for the property project.'
The €2 million next appeared in the bank account of Joaquim Barroca, the Lena Group director already a formal suspect in Operation Marquis, and from there to long-term friend of Sócrates, Carlos Silva who has been ‘lending’ his chum money ever since.
Comments
When joining the EU 30 years ago Portugal was bringing into this economic group an entirely alien philosophy that had no intention at all of working within the boundaries of 'good business behaviour'.
Regulations from Brusssels and the 'entirely new' norms of governance were just things to trivialise. Corruption, bribes and consequential distortions of planning to favour the 'in-crowd' were the old traditional ways to do business and
were to remain so.
Consider the FIFA corruption probes. Does anyone think for a millisecond the regret that thousands of Portuguese feel that their man Figo did not stay in the running for President after Blatter as he would then certainly shoe horn dozens of his Portuguese mates onto the FIFA gravy train ?
Not drive corruption out - just bury it deeper as only a Portuguese can !