Nuno Mocinha faces conviction request for prevarication in Elvas

The Public Ministry has requested the conviction of Nuno Mocinha, a Socialist Party councillor and former mayor of Elvas, for prevarication of a political office holder. The case, currently being heard at the Portalegre Court, concerns actions taken between 2015 and 2018.

Prosecutors allege that Mocinha and Paulo Dias, the former Director of the Financial and Development Department of the Elvas City Council, bypassed public procurement laws. It is claimed that between January 2016 and July 2018, Mocinha—influenced by Dias—approved direct award contracts for cleaning services with companies owned by a businesswoman. The prosecution noted that the manager of these companies and Paulo Dias were reportedly involved in a romantic relationship during the period the contracts were rapidly being signed.

Mocinha faces the potential loss of his mandate as a local representative. Defense lawyers have requested acquittal, arguing that Mocinha was unaware of the romantic relationship between the other parties and did not direct the selection of specific entities.