TCN Portugal denies involvement in business for the sale of building

Lisbon, 06 Mar (Lusa) - A promoter property TCN Portugal today denied any involvement in business for the sale of buildings of CTT, particularly in the cities of Coimbra and Lisbon, and expressed readiness to provide all the necessary clarifications to the Portuguese authorities.
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The Judicial Police (PJ) held Wednesday morning searches of several companies in Lisbon and Coimbra, in the context of an investigation related to the sale of two buildings of CCT occurred in 2003, told the Lusa àgência police source.

Source of PJ contacted by Lusa stated that the searches focused mainly on companies and that investigations were arrested with an alleged "mismanagement" of the previous administration of CTT, chaired by Carlos Horta e Costa.

In the communiqué released today, the TCN Portugal (TramCroNe) ensures that "never spoke" in any business related to the sale of buildings of CTT, especially in Coimbra and Lisbon "and that" never had, nor has any societal participation "in the company called Demagre that transaccionou those buildings.

It also indicates that the Demagre "either belongs or has ever belonged" to the Group TCN.

The TCN Portugal recognizes that, as a real estate promoter, "served" in the Demagre works for the conversion of the building of the CTT of Coimbra, but "never spoke" in any business that has to do with the sale of the two buildings, explains the company in a document signed by the chairman of the board, Julio Macedo.

The steps undertaken by researchers from the Center for Research Directorate-Corruption and Economic and Financial Crime (DCICCEF) Criminal Police are related to a process that takes more than a year and where there are indications of crimes in the area of corruption and economic crime - financial, and economic participation in business and trafficking of influences.

In July 2006, the newspaper reported audience, based on the preliminary report of the Inspectorate General of Public Works (IGOP), the existence of suspicions of criminal practices in acts of management of the previous administration of CTT - Correios de Portugal.

In question was, in particular, the sale of two buildings of CTT in businesses that amounted to 50 million euros.

Besides Horta e Costa, the report of the IGOP also pointed the finger to the then administrator Manuel Batista.

Recently, without specifically cite the CTT, the bastonário of the Bar, Marino Pinto, who has chosen to corruption as one of the themes of their public intervention, referred to the sale of a public building, in Coimbra, announced by EUR 14 million and, hours later, to the time of writing was recorded by 19.5 million.

For bastonário, it can be concluded that 5.5 million euros of public money have been diverted to "a private pocket."

© 2008 LUSA - the News Agency of Portugal, SA