The fanfare with which Operation Lúmen hit the headlines last week has died down considerably as all four defendants have apparently repeatedly explained to public prosecutors that “this is the way things have always been done”.
Last week the four were being labelled for alleged ‘corruption’ and ‘criminal association’, in a case that reverberated through ‘at least 10 municipalities’.
Today they have been released from police custody – free to go without restrictions.
SIC Notícias reports that public prosecutors did not ask for any bail measures.
Correio da Manhã tabloid explains that all four (held since last Tuesday) have “denied that they committed any crimes (…) They explained that the way in which procedures regarding the contracting of Christmas lights were commonplace in practically every part of the country – and this is more a political case than a criminal one”.
The paper explains that each defendant was subjected to questioning – the last of all being Alberto Laplaine Guimarães (an exceptionally long-serving civil servant with an enviable reputation up until the breaking of this purported ‘scandal’).
Far from being the lynchpin in this alleged cabal, Laplaine Guimarães was busy explaining “long into Friday night” that it was common practice for local authorities to stipulate a value for festive illuminations, and for companies (in this case Castros Iluminações Festivais of Vila Nova de Gaia) to be informed of that value, and accept it.
Writing all this up on Saturday, CM suggested that bail measures for those held would be ‘known on Monday’. As it is, they were decided today.
Source: SIC Notícias/Correio da Manhã
