Deputy Finance Minister accused of fraud will no longer take office

Patrícia Dantas, who was supposed to take on duties as deputy to the Minister of State and Finance, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento will no longer be part of the team, after this Tuesday “Correio da Manhã” reported that she faces an accusation of a crime of fraud in obtaining European funds.

In a statement sent to newsrooms, the Ministry of Finance clarifies that the decision was taken “maintaining the presumption of innocence” and “after consideration”.

“Following news published by the media, about a process that began in 2017 and is still taking place in the appropriate locations, without any judicial decision having been made on the same, Patrícia Dantas, maintaining the presumption of innocence that was imposes and after consideration, informed the Minister of State and Finance that he decided not to assume the role of deputy to the Ministry of Finance”, it can be read.

Correio da Manhã reported in this Tuesday’s edition, in a headline, that Joaquim Miranda Sarmento had hired the former PSD deputy to his team of advisors, at a time when the 52-year-old Madeiran woman is facing an appeal charge to false invoices to obtain European funds. The Public Ministry’s accusation dates back to 2018, involves 120 defendants and the extinct Associação Industrial do Minho and is already in the trial phase.

Suspicions about Patrícia Dantas date back to the period when she was president of Startup Madeira. After that, she embarked on a political career, having assisted Pedro Calado, vice-president of the Regional Government recently heard in the context of the corruption process in Madeira. In 2022 Patrícia Dantas was elected as a deputy in the Assembly of the Republic and served her term until the end.

The newspaper recalls that the situation had already caused a stir, but that, at the time, Luís Montenegro said that he preferred not to have her as a deputy, in particular to follow the inquiry into TAP, but that this was a process prior to his term as leader of the party.

According to the newspaper, Miranda Sarmento was counting on her to bridge the gap between her office and Parliament, but after the news, the position will no longer be hers.