PJ police have reportedly opened an investigation into the Secretary of State for Agriculture, João Moura, over suspicions of corruption and money-laundering.
In an ‘exclusive’ today – which has since been repeated by several other news outlets – Correio da Manhã tabloid says “at issue are money transfers between family companies in which João Moura is a joint partner with his wife”.
Like so many investigations into political figures opened previously, the basis for this one has been given as ‘complaints’. Very often these complaints are ‘anonymous’ . One has to presume they hold some plausibility for investigators to go to the trouble of opening an investigation.
According to CM: “In this investigation, Leiria PJ are trying to follow the trail of an alleged circulation of suspect money between the politician’s businesses (Quadradoaometro, and Metric Money).
“In Golegã, Quadradoaometro has a luxury property in which he (Moura) has already invested €600,000”, says the paper.
CM then goes into its questioning of local authorities (Golegã and Ourém where Moura is president of the municipal assembly), which is not particularly forthcoming. Neither outright confirm any kind of approach made by PJ investigators.
The newspaper’s ‘box story’ alongside its exclusive links Moura with João Gama Leão, “one of the large debtors of Novo Banco, with whom he worked in Grupo Prebuild.
“Moura’s connection with Gama Leão and the offshore Legomix Trading Limited, based in Malta, was made in the hearing of Gama Leão in parliament in 2017 by PSD MP Hugo Carneiro”, CM concludes, in what promises to be a story involving a ‘drip-drip’ of ‘revelations’ pointing towards cronyism.
For now, the paper refers to the two companies’ activities: Quadradoaometro is described as an engineering office; Metric Money as a “vast social object, acting in tourism, rural spaces, touristic animation, agricultural and animal exploration, commerce, food import/ export, drinks, textiles, clothing, footwear, accessories, restaurants and similar”, as well as being a “consultancy for the businesses and (their) management”.
Other news sources allude to Moura “affirming that he suspended his 50% share in Quadradoaometro before taking up (his government post), in compliance with the law controlling the wealth of holders of political office. However, this suspension has not been officially registered, meaning, according to specialists, that Moura remains legally an effective shareholder”.
Up till ‘this moment’, stress today’s reports, neither the Ministry of Agriculture nor the Secretary of State himself have commented on the investigation underway. “The case is covered by ‘secrecy of justice’ and is now in the hands of the PJ and competent judicial authorities”, adds news website ZAP which already started reporting on this ‘situation’ last week.
Sources: Correio da Manhã/ SIC Notícias/ ZAP
