A group of members of Lar do Comércio, in Matosinhos, reported to the Public Ministry (MP) the "suspicious sale" and "without authorization" of a property of the institution, whose opening of the enquiry was confirmed this Wednesday, April 19, by the Attorney General's Office
In the participation, to which Lusa had access and that was received on April 7, the associates urge the MP to investigate what they consider to be a "suspicious" sale, completed on March 25, of a property located in Ponte de Lima, for 471 thousand euros.
"The sale of the Ponte de Lima property was communicated to those present with a single proposal (...) worth 471,000 euros. This sale is very suspicious, because it was a donation made to Lar do Comércio a few years ago and the land certificate says it was by usucapion! Besides the register was made in Coimbra, who knows why!", can be read in the participation presented to the MP.
Questioned by Lusa, the PGR confirmed the instauration of an enquiry with origin in this participation, being the same under investigation.
Lusa also tried, with Lar do Comércio, to get a reaction to these allegations, but has not yet obtained any clarification.
In the complaint, the associates also state that the four-storey building in question is not part, contrary to what the notice communicating the intention to sell indicates, of the list of buildings whose disposal was authorised in the General Assembly of 25 September 2021.
In the notice, published on 24 February in the Jornal de Notícias, a few days before the start of the trial where the same group of associates challenges the authorisation to sell the institution's assets valued at around six million euros, the Social Solidarity Institution (IPSS) indicated that the sale, for the base price of 415 thousand euros, would occur "in harmony with the resolution taken in the General Assembly of 25 September 2021" and in the Board meeting of 9 September 2022, so it would proceed with the sale, as a proposal in a closed letter.
Pointing out that a certified copy of the minutes of that meeting has already been requested, these members consider that it would be "very serious due to the falsity of the situation" if a reference to the Ponte de Lima property appeared in those minutes.
"The members ask for the minutes, but they are not given them! Why not?" they question.
In the letter, the group of associates also denounces the attempt to sell another property, on Avenida da Boavista, in Oporto, whose authorisation for sale is being contested in court. The authors state that, unlike the Ponte de Lima property, and "coincidentally or not", "no bid has been submitted".
The authors of this complaint had already tried - through an injunction, which was rejected - to stop the sale of 14 buildings located in the parishes of Bonfim, Campanhã, Lordelo do Ouro and Massarelos and the Union of Parishes of the Historic Centre, in Porto, and in the localities of Rio Tinto, Valbom and Jovim, in Gondomar, valued at around six million euros.
The authorization for the alienation of these properties, proposed by the direction of that IPSS was approved in General Assembly of associates in September 2021, decision that the plaintiff of the action, who joined, in the meantime, two more associates, intends to see annulled, alleging that around 3,000 associates were excluded from participating, whose summons was made by letter.
The first trial session was scheduled for March 7, however, it was postponed due to the bailiffs' strike.
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