Indictment
Facts occurred at the Maceda Base, in Aveiro, between 2018 and 2021
Seven men with ties to the Air Force, including officers, and the wife of one of them were accused by the Public Ministry of Aveiro of various crimes, including undue receipt of advantage, embezzlement, abuse of power, denial of justice and prevarication. The defendant, wife of an officer, was accused of the crime of usurpation of functions.
The facts occurred at the Air Force’s Air Force Maneuver Airfield Nº 1 (AM1), in Maceda, Aveiro, between October 2018 and April 2021, and will have caused damages to the public purse of more than 230 thousand euros. According to the indictment, the main defendant bought or diverted goods to his private residence, paid domestic expenses and benefited from gardening and laundry services.
During festive seasons, he received meals for his family or for third parties, always at the expense of the Air Base. In addition, he paid undue additional work to civilian employees of the mess, carried out inspections of private vehicles in the offices of the base, let third parties use the vehicle assigned exclusively to his service for personal purposes and did not initiate the due investigation processes after accidents or malfunctions of this vehicle in use by third parties. With these practices, he will have harmed the State by 195 thousand euros.
Wife accused of usurpation of functions
His wife, “arrogating herself to have the functions of her husband, gave orders and guidance to the military, namely in the Messe and civilian workers of the AM1, namely in the undue enjoyment of foodstuffs, causing damage to the State in the amount of 3,990.05 €”, describes a statement from the District Attorney General of Porto. She was accused of the crime usurpation of functions.
Another defendant, through his own conduct or with the consent of the superior, improperly enjoyed, as well as his household, the VIP area, having improperly benefited from food for himself, his family, and on festive occasions for third parties. This defendant also misused and for personal purposes the human resources available to Messe, the vehicle exclusively allocated to the other defendant, attributing fuel costs, repairs and maintenance to the Base.
Finally, he allegedly carried out repairs to private vehicles in the Base’s workshops and received unduly wages. In total, it will have caused damage to the State in the amount of €36,997.83. The other five defendants improperly benefited from foodstuffs, causing a loss in the global amount of €1,428.00.
Accused of various crimes
The seven defendants were charged with crimes of undue receipt of advantage and embezzlement, with two of them still answering for the crimes of embezzlement of use and abuse of power, and one of these, still for the crime of denial of justice and prevarication; the defendant, in turn, was accused of the crime of usurpation of functions.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office requested that all defendants in the exercise of their functions be sentenced to accessory penalties, as well as the forfeiture in favor of the State of amounts unduly obtained by such defendants. He also formulated, on behalf of the State, a request for Civil Compensation.