SOCIAL SECTOR – Vila Verde Chamber monitors the situation of APPACDM ‘with concern’

The mayor of Vila Verde, Júlia Fernandes, said this Wednesday that the municipality is monitoring “with concern” the situation experienced at APPACDM in Braga, whose Vila Verde complex has already returned to operation, despite the enormous instability surrounding it. of the institution.

“We are concerned about the situation and, above all, about this group of young people who have difficulties in terms of family support, with families who need this support. We are very concerned and monitoring every step that is taken”, stated the mayor.

As “O Vilaverdense” reported, the institution reopened, this Wednesday, the Activity Centers for Training and Inclusion (CACI) that had closed last Thursday for an “indefinite period” due to financial difficulties. At stake are three CACI in Braga and another three in Vila Verde, Esposende and Famalicão.

Júlia Fernandes expressed hope that the institution “will be able to resume and recover its activity”, which is “very necessary”, both in the municipality and in the region itself, to respond to people with mental disabilities. In the case of Vila Verde, there are around 20 young people who are part of the CACI.

“Obviously, I have been following the case of the Vila Verde nucleus more closely, but I know that there are conversations between the institution and Social Security to try to overcome these constraints that have arisen”, highlighted the president of the Vila Verde municipality.

UNPAID WAGES

From what “O Vilaverdense” found, despite the reopening of activity centers, employees have not yet received their salaries for the month of March. This situation had already been assumed by the current Management of APPACDM of Braga in the internal circular, issued last Thursday, in which it reported the temporary closure of the CACI.

At issue, according to the current president, Bruno Silva, are “seizures” of the Social Security Financial Management Institute “due to successive failures by the previous Management”. “We are committed to the urgency of resolving this entire situation as soon as possible, but we are unable to commit to dates”, admitted the director.

COURT LAWSUITS

Later, speaking to Lusa, Bruno Silva said that the previous Management may have harmed the institution by “between two and three million euros”, through harmful management and illicit appropriation of public money. “It is a huge number of crimes”, he said, pointing out that the case is already being investigated by the Public Ministry.

According to Bruno Silva, APPACDM in Braga has a total of 167 workers, bringing the monthly salary to 220 thousand euros. The institution, which in addition to the CACI manages three residential homes, serves 262 users.

However, also in statements to Lusa, the previous president, Bruno Ramos, announced that he will file a complaint against the current leader of the institution for defamation. Ramos recalled that he led the Braga APPACDM between November 11, 2022 and January 8 of this year, highlighting that during this period Bruno Silva presided over the Fiscal Council.

“He was the one who supervised the institution’s accounts and documents. In July 2023, the 2022 accounts were approved and a favorable opinion was issued by the Fiscal Council chaired by Bruno Silva, with access to all documents. On November 25, 2023, a few months ago, the action plan and budget for the year 2024 were presented, with a positive balance of 54 thousand euros and, once again, we had a favorable opinion from the Supervisory Board. In other words, the person who now says that there is a deviation of two to three million euros has always issued favorable opinions”, highlighted Bruno Ramos.

And he stressed: “If, eventually, there was any harmful management, that person is with me in the alleged harmful management. Other people will be able to talk about the accounts, but the person who was President of the Supervisory Board until the day he took office [na Direção] At the end of February, he was the president of the Fiscal Council, he saw all the documents and said everything was fine”.