The former president of a community in Vila Verde, the Associação Cultural, Desportiva e Recreativa de Oleiros (ACDRO), João Gomes de Araújo, was cleared by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, due to the lack of foundation in all the complaints made against him.
João Gomes de Araújo was president of ACDRO, in Vila Verde, for around 15 years, between June 15, 2006 and mid-June 2022, with the president, António de Sousa Silva, understanding that his predecessor hid information and documents relevant.
In view of the formal complaints, the Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP) of the District of Vila Verde, the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s understanding was different, archiving the case in its entirety, as there was no infidelity or abuse of trust.
The new president of the Vila Verde community, António de Sousa Silva, maintained, in the complaint, that João Gomes de Araújo had kept part of the funds received, while he not only denied it, but also expressed disgust with such insinuations.
António de Sousa Silva based his complaint to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in light of the debts faced by the new management, before the Tax and Customs Authority (Finance), Braga Football Association and Vila Verde City Council.
The only accusation that João Gomes de Araújo recognized and maintained, as he declared, was at the end of his last term, that he had an INATEL cup in his possession, as a souvenir, but that he would immediately return it to the association, if it so wished.
João Gomes de Araújo, who was not even named as a defendant by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, stated that for around 20 years he managed the club practically alone, because the other directors left.
“I had to advance money from my own pocket”
According to the version of the former president of the Oleiros community, in Vila Verde, over two decades, “the support was little and the expenses were greater”, so, on the contrary, “I often had to advance money from my own pocket ”.
Regarding the lack of a bank account held by the Associação Cultural, Desportiva e Recreativa de Oleiros (ACDRO), João Gomes de Araújo justified it with the fact that this community in Vila Verde has very low financial movements.
Reiterating that “it is a lie” that he had ever appropriated any funds from the association for his personal benefit, João Gomes de Araújo, while the debts “were due to the fact that there was not enough financial liquidity to pay them off”.
Public Ministry clears former leader
In its archiving order, the Public Ministry of Vila Verde notes that “while it is true that between 2013 and 2021 ACDRO received from the Oleiros Parish Council and the Vila Verde City Council close to 60 thousand euros, it is also true that the sporting activity and the maintenance of the association itself generates expenses, which were not possible to account for”.
According to the Public Ministry, “it is public knowledge that not even the big clubs manage to make profits, it cannot be said” that João Gomes de Araújo “has used the funds allocated to the association for his own benefit”.
“And even less can it be said that while he was at the helm of the association he intentionally failed to satisfy his debts, in such a way as to cause him significant patrimonial loss”, as “in effect, the hypothesis of such debts translating into the objective impossibility of the revenue generated to cover its expenses”, according to the Public Ministry.
Lawyer considers the exoneration fair
Lawyer João Araújo da Silva, defender of the former association leader, welcomed “the order of complete archiving of the Vila Verde MP”, considering his exoneration “to be fair”, because “the complaint did not have the slightest basis” .
According to the same lawyer, “the complaint, presented on the eve of Christmas 2022, had no basis whatsoever and the MP considered that it was just mere suspicions and conclusions, that is, a handful of everything and another handful of anything”.
Tags: president Vila Verde club accused putting money pocket Public Ministry files complaint
--
