CDU has filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor over alleged illegalities in an urban planning protocol approved by the Loures Municipal Council. The political coalition announced on Friday that the agreement favors a real estate developer by 1.1 million euros.
At the center of the dispute is a proposal approved at a council meeting on April 23. CDU councillor Gonçalo Caroço, representing the coalition between the Portuguese Communist Party and the Ecologist Party "The Greens" (PCP/PEV), explained to the Lusa news agency that the protocol replaced a 1.1 million euro payment owed for an urban planning project in Santo António dos Cavaleiros with the transfer of two plots of land in Santa Iria de Azóia.
The council proposal passed with votes in favor from the Socialist Party (PS), which holds a majority leadership in the municipal executive, and the Social Democratic Party (PSD). The Chega party abstained, while the CDU voted against the measure.
Terms of the agreement
Caroço said the developer was originally required to pay 1.1 million euros to the municipality or provide land evaluated at that exact figure. He said the council president instead presented a proposal allowing the developer to pay nothing in cash while handing over two unvalued pieces of land.
The communist councillor noted that under existing law, when land plots are unvalued or cannot be evaluated, the developer is legally required to pay urban planning compensation in cash. He said the municipality accepted an exchange for unvalued land, potentially harming municipal coffers by more than one million euros to benefit the developer.
Caroço explained that the coalition waited until now to submit the complaint because it needed to analyze the case with legal support. He said representatives examined the matter alongside lawyers and jurists to ensure sufficient evidence existed before concluding there was enough material for the Public Prosecutor to review.
Previous legal actions
This complaint is the second submission made by CDU Loures to the Public Prosecutor regarding municipal urban planning operations within a single year.
The coalition submitted its previous complaint in September 2025 concerning a land re-parceling operation and urbanization works in the town of Portela. According to the communists, that earlier deal harmed municipal funds by approximately five million euros.
Lusa contacted the Loures Municipal Council, located in the Lisbon district, but was unable to obtain an immediate response.
