Municipal elections this autumn see the return of a number of ‘old chestnuts’ which Correio da Manhã dubs “dinosaurs”, among them former mayor of Oeiras Isaltino Morais – dogged by lawsuits for qualified fiscal fraud, money-laundering and abuse of power for years before finally serving time in jail. Hailed by former president Mário Soares as a “great mayor”, Morais is now fighting for his old job as an independent, while elsewhere a number of other former mayors who are ‘out of time’ to continue serving for the political parties they used to stand for have switched allegiances to become ‘independents’.
Morais also has company in the form of other former mayors who have been up before magistrates for alleged dodgy dealing, but who continue to feel the need to continue in public service.
Jaime Ramos (PSD) is one of these, and has presented his candidacy for Entroncamento, where he was mayor for 12 years, after having being handed a two-and-a-half-year suspended sentence for abuse of power only last month, says CM.
Paulo Costa (PSD) is also standing once again for Caminha, after being absolved of the crimes of prevarication and abuse of power in February.
