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The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 29th November 2023 

by Mike Evans

A very good day to you all reading this from the Algarve and beyond. With the cold days becoming more regular we are all looking at ways to stay warm and for many the Wood Burner is a staple part of living here in Portugal. However, these don’t come without their safety issues and if you are using one for the first time, or you have had a new one installed since last winter you should check that it is working correctly.

Here are a few Do’s to consider- DO—make sure there is enough clearance between the stove and combustible materials, including floors, walls and ceilings. DO—place the stove on a noncombustible, fire resistant base. DO—have a mason or other competent person inspect the chimney. DO—burn only dry, well-seasoned wood. Not all wood is the same. Burn dry, seasoned wood to reduce particle pollution. Split wood dries much faster. Softwoods, such as Douglas fir, need six months to dry. Hardwoods like oak need at least 12 months. Never burn garbage, plastic, treated lumber, or driftwood– they emit toxic fumes and particles.

If it is an old burner, Use a wire brush to clean your stove pipe and chimney at least once a year. Also, occasionally use controlled, high-temperature fires in the stove or furnace. Don’t bother with the salt-based chemical cleaners. And never use heavy items such as chains, bricks or a brush on the end of a rope, because they could seriously damage the interior chimney lining.

Now a look at some of the stories from around the region in the past week.

Water scarcity in the Algarve is the “worst ever”, according to the APA

The water shortage in the Algarve is the “worst ever” and if this scenario continues, at the beginning of 2024 it may be necessary to impose limits on consumption, admitted on Monday the vice-president of the Portuguese Environment Agency ( APA ) .

“This year, the Algarve is worse than last year, it is in the worst situation ever. We’ve never been like this. It is a new path that we are taking”, stated José Pimenta Machado at the National Meeting of Water Management Entities (ENEG) which started until Thursday in Gondomar.

The situation is of “particular concern”, and could “eventually” lead the APA to “take difficult measures”, in January or February, he anticipated, revealing during his intervention that the group of reservoirs in the Algarve region currently accounts for 30 hectometers less cubic (hm3) than in 2022.

On the sidelines of the event, José Pimenta Machado clarified that APA monitors the water level in the reservoirs daily, and decisions are made based on this analysis.

“Everything has to be evaluated based on water reserves. We are in the middle of winter and it is in winter that the reservoirs recover water. We will have to carry out rigorous and continuous monitoring of the evolution of the level of the reservoirs and then, eventually, in January, February, we will have to take measures so that, above all, there is no shortage of water”, he stressed.

The vice-president of APA took the opportunity to point out the control of water consumption and the strengthening of groundwater inspection as possible measures to mitigate water scarcity. The official also said that the situation in the Mira River Basin, in Alentejo, is similar to the Algarve region, however, in that case, “human consumption is more than safeguarded”.

According to the weekly reservoir bulletin of November 20, the volume stored increased in three river basins in the country and decreased in 12 compared to the previous week.

According to the same document, there are five reservoirs with a storage percentage that does not exceed 20%: Campilhas (6%), Monte da Rocha (8%), Vigia (16%), Arade (15%) and Bravura (8%), the last two in the Algarve.

José Pimenta Machado – who participated in the afternoon in a round table on adapting to the new European directives on water – was, however, satisfied with the work carried out by the ‘task force’ created in June to mitigate the effects of drought in that region. At that time, the Government decreed a reduction in the quota of water for agricultural use and for golf courses by 20% in the Odeleite dam, in Castro Marim . If golf courses have the capacity to reuse wastewater, the limitation increases to 50%.

The measures came at a time when a third of the country was in severe and extreme drought, with the Algarve and Alentejo raising the greatest concerns.

This was confirmed by the vice-president of APA, who said that in some stations in the Cávado and Lima basins, precipitation values ​​in the order of 1,000 litres were recorded: “that is, it rained more in 15 days in that area than it rains in two years throughout the Algarve region”, he highlighted, adding that these phenomena bring added challenges.

The official also recalled that investments are being made in the Algarve region to find alternative sources, such as the project to build a desalination plant in the municipality of Albufeira, which is under public consultation until December 19th.

Public investments of around 342 million euros are also planned from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and European funds, to increase water resilience.

Three arrested for drug trafficking in Silves

Two men and a woman, aged between 25 and 56, were arrested on Thursday, the 23rd, for drug trafficking, in the municipality of Silves, GNR reported today. According to a statement, the military from that security force carried out two search warrants, one at home and the other in a vehicle, in the town of Tunes , as part of an investigation into drug trafficking, which had been going on for around two months.

The GNR also seized in the same operation, among others, 15 cannabis plants, 206 doses of marijuana, two doses of hashish and a pistol.

The detainees were made defendants and the facts were communicated to the Portimão Judicial Court.

2 Arrested suspected of attempted murder and robbery in Portimão

The Judiciary Police , through the DIC of Portimão, identified and detained two men, for the alleged responsibility for attempted murder and robbery crimes, committed last July, in Portimão, it was announced today. “During an attempted robbery with a sharp weapon, in a vacant place in the centre of Portimão, the suspects attacked the victim with several stab wounds to the torso and upper limbs, taking into account that he refused to reveal the location where the money was located, which they intended to steal”, details the PJ in a statement.

“After the robbery was foiled, they fled without assisting or providing assistance to the victim, who was left in a very serious condition, only not dying because she was assisted, intervened and hospitalised, a situation that still persists, with an organ having been removed that , due to the injuries, he was in an irreversible state”, the note continues.

The detainees, aged 22 and 25, with criminal records, were present for the first judicial interrogation, having been imposed the measure of coercion of periodic presentations and the prohibition of contact with the victim.

The investigation is held by the Public Ministry of Portimão.

Man arrested with more than 5,300 doses of heroin in the municipality

A 29-year-old man was arrested on Monday, November 20th, in the municipality of Loulé , for drug trafficking, announced the National Republican Guard. The arrest was made by the Faro Territorial Command , through the Loulé Criminal Investigation Unit, following a tip.

The military carried out police investigations and located the suspect’s vehicle, which hid 5,356 doses of heroin in the engine compartment.

During a search of the suspect’s residence, two cell phones, a laptop, a precision scale and several plastic bags for storing the drug were also seized.

The detainee was present at the Judicial Court of Faro, for the application of coercive measures.

Man Arrested in Tavira, author of threats to police who was wanted for murder

Police authorities arrested a man for threatening and insulting police officers, in Tavira, and who was wanted for other crimes, including murder, abroad, the PSP announced today .After appearing before the Court of Appeal of Évora, which has jurisdiction to decide on cases of extradition of foreign citizens subject to European arrest warrants, the 53-year-old detainee entered a prison, where he will wait until he is extradited, according to the PSP in a statement, without specifying the man’s nationality.

In the note, the PSP reveals that the police officers were carrying out civil service and, during a conversation with other people, “the detainee, without any reason to predict it, addressed them with threats and insults”.

The agents identified themselves as police officers, but the man “maintained his aggressive behaviour” and made “death threats”, ending up being “handcuffed and handcuffed, with the help of citizens, given the resistance and violence” he demonstrated, even according to PSP.

“As he is a foreign citizen, information was requested through international police cooperation channels, and it was found that the citizen had already been convicted of serious crimes, such as the crime of qualified homicide in 2005”, reads the note from the District Command of Faro from PSP.

According to the PSP, the detainee was also “indicted, after 2020, for other violent crimes such as robbery, sexual abuse and offenses against physical integrity”, in addition to being the target of complaints for other crimes, “such as damage, theft and rape of domicile”.

GNR chase Truck Driver from Tavira to Guadiana Bridge

The GNR chased a truck on the A22 on Friday night, all the way from the Tavira junction to the Guadiana bridge.

Several other drivers on the A22 had alerted emergency services to the irregular driving of a heavy vehicle weaving “between the left and right lanes” of the A22.

The GNR pursued the truck driver from the Tavira junction, all the way to the Guadiana bridge, alerting the Spanish Guardia Civil of the situation.

The Guardia Civil in Spain eventually managed to intercept the vehicle on the A-49, in the Huelva area, and the driver was detained.

Road inspections and infractions rise across the whole of the country

During the first seven months of the year, 81.5 million vehicles were inspected in person and through automatic means, 12.6% more compared to the same period in 2022, and 694,000 infractions were detected. According to the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), regarding infractions, there was a similar increase (12.2%), according to the road accident report across the whole of Portugal.

The vast majority (67%) were due to speeding (+21.6%): “There were increases in almost all types of infractions, highlighting, in addition to speeding, those relating to the system child restraint (+40.0%) and lack of insurance (+19.4%), among others”, reads the document

Regarding driving under the influence of alcohol, between January and July 2023, 1.12 million drivers were tested, which represents an increase of 29.3% compared to the same period in 2022. Road crime, measured in total number of arrests, increased by 12.2% compared to 2022, reaching 21.2 thousand drivers. Of the total, 55.4% was due to driving under the influence of alcohol (+12.9%), followed by 35.0% due to lack of a legal driving licence (+17.4%).

Since the points licence system came into force in June 2016, the number of drivers who lost points on their driving licence was 618,800 by the end of July 2023.

Since June 2016, 2,666 drivers have lost their licence (due to revocation), according to the same source.

Finally as we get closer to the Christmas period we all need to be mindful of safety and security issues both when we are out on the roads as well as when we are in our homes. Here are a few hints to be mindful of at this time of the year.

When it comes to Christmas decorations in the home, never leave candles unattended and make sure you put them out before going to bed. Never put candles on the Christmas trees. Beware of trailing cables and wires. Tripping on lights cables may result in trees falling over or worse accidents.

If you are spending Christmas away from home, It’s always exciting to share holiday memories, but avoid posting too much information about your travel plans on social media. The wrong people may find out you are away from home and take advantage of your absence.

Glimpsing a twinkling Christmas tree through a neighbourhood window makes most of us warm and fuzzy inside. Unfortunately, not every passer-by has good intentions, so make sure to obscure outsiders’ views into your living space.

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 22nd November 2023

by Mike Evans

A very good day to you all. With the weather due to get cooler in the next few weeks, it is probably a good time to get rid of any old garden waste as the fire risk is very low. This year has been one of the best on record for the lack of rural fires across the whole of Portugal including the Algarve, more on this further in this report, so make sure if you are burning waste that you follow the rules and stay safe.

With Christmas approaching, Safe Communities hosted an event in Sao Bras de Alportel. The event organised by Safe Communities Portugal and Amigos do Museu do Traje São Brás de Alportel was well attended with just under 50 participants. We were grateful that Marlene de Sousa Guerreiro Vice-Presidente Câmara da Municipal de São Brás de Alportel and Coronel Carlos Almeida GNR Commander Faro District Territorial Command were able to attend.

Presenters were Dr.ª Raquel Viana Head of the Communication, Innovation and Special Projects Division, Autoridade Nacional de Segurança Rodoviária (ANSR) and  Capitão Samuel Afonso, GNR, Comando Territorial de Faro, who both delivered really excellent presentations in English that were very well received by the audience. These covered very wide topics concerning crime prevention and road safety and the operations planned over the Christmas and New Year periods.

Now a look at some of the stories from around the region for the past couple of weeks.

Man dies in collision between motorcycle and car in Castro Marim

A 47-year-old man died today following a collision between a motorcycle and a light vehicle on Estrada Nacional 122 (EN122) in Castro Marim.

According to a source from the Algarve Sub-regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command, the accident, which occurred in the town of Azinhal, also caused two minor injuries. The collision, for which an alert was given at 3:46 pm, forced the road to be closed until 5:15 pm, he said.

There were 17 operatives on site accompanied by six vehicles and a helicopter, the source concluded.

Three Motorcyclists die on the Algarve Roads within 12 hours at the Weekend

Three young motorcyclists lost their lives in the Algarve in three separate accidents last weekend, two of the motorcyclists lost control of their vehicles on the EN124-1, between Silves and Lagoa and the third on the IC2, in Salir, Loulé.

The alert for the first accident was given early in the evening, at the roundabout on the EN124-1, between Silves and Lagoa,  near the access to the A22. Rogério Marques, from Lagoa, aged 36, was assisted at the scene by emergency services, but died soon after at Portimão Hospital.

Almost simultaneously, “about a kilometre away, another motorcyclist, Rafael Candeias, 28 years old, from Bensafrim, Lagos, who belonged to the same group of friends as the first victim, suffered a crash on the junction between the EN124-1 and the EN125. His death was pronounced at the scene.

The last fatal incident occurred at 9:39am and took the life of 29 year old Miguel Bentes, this time at the IC2, in Salir, Loulé. Death was pronounced at the scene.

The GNR Criminal Investigation Unit for Road Accidents is investigating the circumstances of the three fatal accidents.

Two arrested for drug trafficking in Carvoeiro

Two 28-year-old men were arrested this Friday, November 17th, in Carvoeiro , in the municipality of Lagoa , for drug trafficking, announced the National Republican Guard. The arrest was made by the Faro Territorial Command, through the Carvoeiro Territorial Post, during a patrol.

The military noticed that two men were inside a vehicle demonstrating suspicious behaviour, and proceeded to carry out an inspection. During the action, the occupants showed some nervousness and 16 doses of cannabis and 15 doses of hashish were seized.

The detainees were accused and the facts were communicated to the Portimão Judicial Court.

Collision between two vessels leaves four injured on the Gilão River

Two recreational boats collided during the night of Thursday, November 16, at the mouth of the Gilão River , in Tavira , causing four injuries, one of them serious, announced the National Maritime Authority. The alert was given by a member of the public at 8pm and members of the Tavira Maritime Police Local Command, Tavira Municipal Firefighters and INEM were immediately called to the scene.

Each of the vessels had two people on board, one of whom was thrown into the water and became unconscious.

A member of the public who witnessed the accident rescued the man from the water using a pleasure boat and immediately carried out resuscitation manoeuvres, transporting him to the Quatro-Águas pier. Firefighters subsequently continued to provide assistance to the victim and transported him to a hospital unit.

The people ended up returning to the scene and using a tow from one of the injured boats, they took it to land, where they were assisted by firefighters. The other vessel was later recovered and towed ashore by the Maritime Police, finding itself out of control.

The Tavira Maritime Police Local Command took charge of the incident, having seized the vessels as a precautionary measure and means of evidence, initiating a maritime accident process to determine the causes of the accident.

28 violations detected at a campsite

The Faro Territorial Command of the National Republican Guard (GNR) detected 28 violations at a campsite in the municipality of Albufeira on November 11th , the security force announced. The infractions were detected through the Nature and Environment Protection Service of the Albufeira Territorial Detachment during an inspection action aimed at illegal camping.

87 campsites were inspected, which were found to be in non-compliance with the standards established for the installation of septic tanks.

During the action, 28 infraction notices were drawn up for non-compliance with these standards, which will be sent to the Portuguese Environment Agency.

Burnt area of ​​2800 hectares in the Algarve in 2023, well below expectations

The area burned in the Algarve in 2023, around 2,800 hectares (ha), is “much below” expectations given the meteorological severity of the region, affected by heat and extreme drought , highlighted the regional Emergency and Civil Protection commander.

“It’s a positive year. Within what was expected, we had a very positive year, well below the area that would be expected to be affected. Much lower, which is due to the efforts of all Civil Protection agents and forces that make up the device”, said Vítor Vaz Pinto, on the sidelines of the presentation of the balance of the Special Device to Combat Rural Fires in the Algarve.

In a year that was “particularly demanding from a meteorological point of view”, with high temperatures, lower than normal precipitation and all municipalities in severe or extreme drought, meteorological severity, a parameter that allows comparing the meteorological conditions to which fuels are subject, was “ very high” in the Algarve.

The weighted burned area for the region based on this meteorological severity “pointed to 17,800 hectares”, but in reality it was “considerably lower”, said the regional commander of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC).

“Only 16% of this expected area was affected, that is, just over 2,700 ha [2789.21 ha]. It is, in fact, quite significant and here you can see the work that was done by all the forces of the device”, highlighted Vítor Vaz Pinto.

Between January 1st and October 31st, 269 fires were recorded, which were ignited in the region and resulted in a burned area of ​​789.77 ha, according to published data.

Compared to the history of the previous 10 years, in 2023 there were 16% fewer rural fires and 44% less burned area compared to the annual average for that period.

Compared to last year, these values ​​indicate a 28% increase in the number of fires and a 62% reduction in the total burned area.

On the other hand, the fire that broke out in August in the area of ​​Baiona, municipality of Odemira, district of Beja, whose burned area was more than 7,500 ha, also affected the Algarve municipalities of Aljezur (1,635.85 ha) and Monchique ( 363 , 59 ha).

Of the 269 fires that broke out in the region, 259 were controlled in the initial attack, before reaching the 90 minutes counted from the time of the alert, and average dispatch times were recorded for resources of 50 seconds, “well below” the maximum fire time. two minutes scheduled for the entire continental territory.

In 2023, fires with a burned area of ​​less than one hectare were the most frequent in the Algarve, representing 94% of the total, and there were only three fires with a burned area greater than 100 ha.

The investigation of all fires allowed the attribution of a cause for 161, the most frequent being misuse of fire (36% of the 269), accidental (14%) and arsonism (10%).

The ANEPC regional commander also highlighted the “substantial increase” in false alarms, which mostly correspond to authorised burning and represented 51.6% of the 556 occurrences between January 1 and October 31.

“Just because there are many false alarms, it does not mean that it is necessarily negative. This means that the population is more aware of these situations and naturally activates the system. […] I think it’s positive for people to activate the system and not wait. It is best to call 112, even if other people have done so, it is always preferable to communicate. The faster the alert arrives, the more likely it is that the fire will be put out”, maintained Vítor Vaz Pinto.

Algarve Fraudster Arrested in Brazil

Algarve fraudster Luís Estiveira, a 58 year old Portuguese businessman, who was on the run after being sentenced to seven years in prison for nine crimes of aggravated document forgery, has been arrested in Brazil.

The suspect was in a restaurant in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil, when he was detained by the Federal Police after being on the run, wanted by Portuguese police and with an Interpol Red Diffusion alert.

The Federal Police of Brazil reported that the arrest was carried out with the support of the Special Action Group Against Organized Crime (Gaeco/MPPB) and the Civil Police of Paraíba.

The businessman will be handed over to Brazilian authorities to be extradited to Portugal.

The Portimão court had convicted the man for using false bank guarantees to purchase fuel from oil companies, through the consignment system. Previously, he had already been convicted of the same crimes in Faro. The scheme, which took place in 2010 and 2011, was dismantled by the Judiciary Police (PJ) in 2014.

The forged bank guarantees, coming from a local bank, included the banking institution’s seal and the signatures of two administrators, allegedly forged by the defendant. To provide greater credibility, the guarantees were authenticated by a notary. Through this scheme, which involved the participation of three defendants, the businessman managed to acquire, from Sopor (currently Petrogal) and CEPSA, approximately one million euros in fuel, the supply of which was never paid for, according to reports.

At the time the trial was taking place, Luís Estiveira vehemently denied having falsified the bank guarantees, claiming to be the victim of a conspiracy on the part of the oil companies.

And Finally with the sad reports of the death of 4 motorcyclists on the Algarve Roads..

Motorcycle road safety campaign

The Christmas Campaign “And suddenly, everything changes!”, starts on Wednesday (15 November) with the aim of raising awareness among motorcyclists about reducing road accidents, according to the National Republican Guard (GNR).

Provisional data from ANSR indicates that in the period between January 1 of this year and August 31 there were 6,466 road accidents involving motorcycles, resulting in 85 fatalities.

Between January 2019 and August 2023, according to ANSR data, 35,233 road accidents involving motorcycles were recorded, resulting in 581 fatalities.

The campaign will run until December 15th and also aims to practise defensive driving and adopt safe behaviours on the road.

To everyone on the Roads, Stay Safe.

The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 8th November 2023

by Mike Evans

Good day to you all and welcome to the latest Algarve Report bringing you information and news of all things connected to safety and security. We start this report with the news that an earthquake was felt by many people across the region on Sunday. A 3.4 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale was recorded this Sunday with its epicentre located approximately eight kilometres from Monchique at 9.18pm.

According to the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), the earthquake “did not cause personal or material damage” but was “felt with maximum intensity IV/V (Modified Mercalli scale) in the municipalities of Albufeira and Lagoa. “It was also felt with less intensity in the municipalities of Beja (Beja), Monchique, Portimão, and Silves (Faro),” it added. When we posted the news on our Facebook page many of our followers felt it or “heard” it. Luckily there was no damage reported.

Whilst the region has seen a fair amount of rain in the past week there is a warning from a University of Algarve researcher that unless we see a lot more rain over the winter the Algarve will still be in a drought situation. According to Algarve University researcher Nuno Loureiro, if this hydrological year is not “generous”, next year, the water crisis “will break out in full force”.

The south of Portugal is being increasingly affected by drought, and if it doesn’t rain this year, the country will struggle with a “water crisis”, especially in the Algarve and the Alentejo, said researcher Nuno Loureiro. “The reserves we have no longer guarantee a year [of consumption], or guarantee them with many limitations. And faced with this situation, there are no easy answers, no easy solutions, but there are solutions that have to be adopted and go through planning and serious supervision”, he argued.

The same source acknowledged that domestic consumption is among the areas where action must be taken to make water consumption more sustainable, and this “is managed by price, not managed with “pink” advertising campaigns”.

The researcher, who studied water resources, said that management also involves “things that are completely unthinkable in today’s Algarve”, such as, for example, the “spread of private swimming pools”, which he classified as “absurd” in a scenario of water scarcity.

Now a look at some of the other news from the region in the past week.

Legionella’ outbreak closes municipal swimming pools in Olhão stadium

An outbreak of ‘legionella’ led to the temporary closure of the municipal swimming pool complex and the changing rooms at the Olhão Municipal Stadium, the municipality revealed today.

In a statement, Olhão City Council said that signs of the development of ‘legionella’ culture had been detected in those two pieces of equipment, after monitoring the hot sanitary waters of municipal public sports facilities.

In conjunction with the Health Authority , the municipality decreed the closure of the entire swimming pool complex, “to make way for a more in-depth intervention, which may have to involve replacing the components of the hot water system”.

According to the municipality, the closure of the entire pool complex is because the procedures necessary to eradicate the bacteria have not yet had the desired effect.

With regard to the Municipal Stadium, “the results of the last counter-analysis carried out are awaited, which will dictate, if negative, the reopening of the changing rooms”.

Given the signs of an outbreak of ‘legionella’, the immediate temporary closure of the changing rooms of the two facilities was determined, to carry out the necessary procedures for its eradication, “namely through thermal and chemical shocks aimed at controlling the spread”, according to the statement.

“Despite the greater investment in financial and human resources and the maximum attention paid to this issue, the number of suspected occurrences and development of ‘legionella’ cultures in municipal equipment has increased”, says the municipality.

Despite the constraints that these closures cause to users, the municipality considers it “fundamental to eradicate the bacteria by all necessary means, to guarantee safe access for all residents”.

Man Arrested for domestic violence in possession of weapons and ammunition

A 28-year-old man was arrested in the Algarve for domestic violence against his ex-partner, with weapons and ammunition seized from him, GNR announced on Saturday, the 4th .

The arrest took place in the municipality of Faro , with the military finding that the man was attacking and threatening the 27-year-old victim with verbal abuse.

During the execution of a home search warrant, 825 cartridges, 70 ammunition and two shotguns, a pistol, 64 doses of hashish and four doses of cannabis were seized, the Guard said in a statement.

The detainee was presented to the Judicial Court of Faro, on Friday, where preventive detention was ordered, until remote control means were placed.

Preventive arrest for suspect of trying to kill companion in Olhão

The Court of Faro ordered the preventive detention of a man suspected of trying to kill his partner, in Olhão, after she refused to have sexual relations, the Faro District Attorney’s Office reported today. “The Public Ministry requested the preventive detention of the detainee, which was accepted by the Criminal Investigation Judge”, said in a statement the institution responsible for carrying out criminal proceedings in Faro.

The suspect, aged 29, was indicted for the crime of attempted and aggravated homicide, after having tried to stab his partner, aged 23, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, the note reads.

The crime occurred in a room that they both live in in a residence in Olhão, when the detainee “wanted to have sexual relations with his partner and when she refused, he started drinking alcoholic beverages”.

According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office , the suspect, “armed with a knife, wanted to force her to have sex again”, and “in view of her partner’s new refusal, the detainee stabbed her several times in the legs, abdomen and back of the victim, putting her life in danger.”

The man was prevented from continuing by a third person who came to the room, causing him to flee, adds the Public Ministry.

According to a statement from the Judiciary Police (PJ) released on Thursday, the suspect ended up handing himself in hours later to the Public Security Police.

“The aggression was perpetrated in the presence of a child who was staying in the room with the victim, his mother,” specified the PJ.

The victim was examined and treated at the Centro Hospitalar do Algarve and the investigation of this case is in charge of the Southern directorate of the Judiciary Police.

Mother Arrested for Kidnap of Her Own Child

The mother took her daughter from Faro Hospital on Thursday, October 26 during a visit and was tracked down by authorities to a house in Faro and arrested in the early hours of Tuesday, October 31, along with a man who helped her.

After being heard by a judge, the mother was issued a restraining measure preventing her from “approaching the hospital or any other institution where the baby is located.” Meanwhile, the 45-year-old man was placed on the ‘termo de identidade e residência’ scheme, under which he is obliged to report to authorities whenever necessary.

While the baby girl was kidnapped from Faro’s public hospital, she was born in a private hospital, which Faro PJ police boss Fernando Jordão said may have been part of the mother’s plan to keep the child and circumvent the protective measures issued by Portugal’s Family and Minors Court.

Jordão also revealed that the woman, who is being monitored by the Commission for the Protection of Children and Youths, has another child who is institutionalised. Her newborn daughter, who is one month old, returned to Faro Hospital and remains under its care until a decision is made about her future, as she is subject to provisional protective measures by the Family Court.

According to a statement from the Algarve University Hospital Centre (CHUA) sent to Lusa, the baby was in the hospital as part of provisional protective measures for children and youth at risk, “but without a clinical reason and awaiting a court decision on permanent placement.”

Former Algarve mayor, charged in long-running corruption investigation

The Public Prosecutor’s Office has issued charges for various crimes – including corruption – for the former mayor of Vila Real de Santo António, Conceição Cabrita, construction and property entrepreneurs, a municipal official and a former MP.

The accusation was made as part of the investigation known as Operation Triangle, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) has revealed in a statement from the Évora Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP) – pointing out that among the 12 defendants there are “11 natural persons and one legal person”. The defendants include “a former mayor of Vila Real de Santo António, businessmen in the construction and property sectors, a municipal official and a former member of parliament,” the same source told Lusa.

As the source from the Public Prosecutor’s Office explains, the investigation covered the former mayor’s activities between 2019 and 2021 (when she resigned following her arrest), and was triggered by a “process of selling municipal land for the construction of a large-scale property project in Monte Gordo, in municipal public procurement procedures (in which the Vila Real de Santo António City Council was the contracting authority) and in the licensing of a private construction project“.

According to Évora DIAP, the case involves “several offences of passive and active corruption of a political office holder, abuse of power of a political office holder, malfeasance of a political office holder and document forgery“. The same source said that the “municipal political decision-maker” acted “in the exercise and abuse of her public functions and powers” and “intervened in order to achieve advantages for herself and third parties, over time, in various matters within the competence of the municipality and in its geographical area”.

“In the final order, the Public Prosecutor’s Office makes a request for the loss of advantages against several defendants, and a financial and asset investigation is pending in order to possibly make a request for extended loss, with the intervention of the Asset Recovery Office,” the statement continues.

Évora’s DIAP indicated that “closure orders were also issued in relation to related matters”.

The MP recalls that the investigation was conducted by the Évora DIAP and the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) and led to “search and seizure operations in the Algarve, Lisbon, Leiria and Santarém”.

The same source said that these endeavours made it possible to carry out “computer searches and seizures”, dozens of witnesses were interviewed and telephone and similar communications were intercepted, as well as follow-ups with image collection.

Former Vila Real de Santo António mayor Conceição Cabrita was arrested on 13 April 2021 by the PJ on suspicion of irregularities in a property deal in Monte Gordo, and on the same date the municipality was raided.

Conceição Cabrita was elected by the PSD in 2017 to preside over the Algarve municipality, after having been a councillor and vice-president under the previous president, Luís Gomes, and had announced that she would not run again for the position in the elections scheduled for that year.

The day after the police raid, Socialist MP António Gameiro confirmed that the Judicial Police had searched his home and office as part of the case.

On 16 April, Conceição Cabrita, who had announced that she was resigning from her position on the municipal council, and three other defendants were released from the Évora court, with a ban on contacts between them and with António Gameiro. ECO online writing about the various charges suggests that prosecutors believe Conceição Cabrita and António Gameiro received €100,000 and €300,000 respectively over the Monte Gordo property deal.

Until Next week, Stay Safe.