The case is related to the paving works of the track and accesses of the Arouca Municipal Stadium in 2013, in order to obtain the approval of the Portuguese Professional Football League to participate in professional competitions.

The process also includes two municipal employees and an employee of Carlos Pinho's company, who are also accused of the same crimes, in addition to the company itself, which is responsible for a crime of aggravated forgery or counterfeiting of a document.

The accusation of the Public Ministry (MP), consulted today by Lusa, states that when Arouca went up to the I Football League, the defendants knew that the stadium "did not meet the logistical requirements demanded by the League to participate in its professional competitions".

One of the situations had to do with the lack of access roads that would allow the approach, parking and maneuvering of emergency vehicles, since the paving of the area surrounding the playing area was in dirt.

Thus, in order to avoid reputational costs with the impossibility of using this space for professional competitions, the then mayor José Artur Neves decided to hand over the contract to Carlos Pinho's company, "violating the rules and norms applicable to public procurement and authorization of expenditure".

The MP says that the contract, which included the construction of three access ramps to the track surrounding the playing area, as well as the oval-shaped track itself, was carried out "without the prior commencement of public procurement, budgetary allocation or provision, or any administrative act or budgetary control or even supervision of the works as they were legally obliged to do".

In 2015, José Artur Neves allegedly ordered the payment of the contract to Carlos Pinho, which implied the formalization of a competitive bidding procedure, despite the fact that the work had already been carried out, and for this purpose he had the help of the two municipal employees defendants, who prepared the descriptive and justification report and the plan and specifications.

The contract was eventually awarded, by direct adjustment, to Carlos Pinho's company for the price of 25,026.71 euros, plus VAT, an amount that the MP wants to be declared forfeited in favor of the State.

In addition to this case, José Artur Neves and Carlos Pinho have already been convicted in another case for prevarication to three years in prison, suspended, each. The businessman's sentence also includes a conviction for a crime of aggravated forgery of documents.

The current mayor of Arouca, Margarida Belém, was sentenced in the same case to one year and three months in prison, suspended, for a crime of forgery of a document.

Leia Também: Novo João Neves? Rêgo estreou-se pelo Benfica e pormenor saltou à vista (Portuguese version)