Written by Felicia Cabrita and João Campos Rodriguez
The money diverted from the SAD in Porto, which added to the “blue bag” created by Pinto da Costa and its figurehead Pedro Pigno, was used for various real estate businesses in the Greater Porto area. The Ministry of State has gathered evidence that one of the planned deals was the purchase of luxury apartments in a complex built on the famous lands of the Arrábid escarpment, which is at the center of the Selminho case, a real estate agency owned by the Rui Moreira clan. in whose favor the President of the Chamber of Porto is accused.
However, here we are not talking about Selminho or Rui Moreira, but about what has since been built here: Panorama-Douro Residences. This is an investment of 32 million euros in Arcada real estate, which will consist of nine commercial stores and 81 apartments, ranging from T2 to T5. The administrator and partner of Arcada was Porto’s longtime acquaintance, former player Manuel Caetano.
The residential complex, located in the very center of Porto, next to Ponte da Arrábida, “has a unique panoramic view of the river and landscape, included in the UNESCO heritage list”, the Panorama Douro Residences website notes that the apartments are “at the same time distance from Foz, the historical center and Boavista “. Prices match the location and luxury finishes: € 870,000 for the T3, as quoted on the Castelhana Real Estate website, or € 1.3 million for the T4, which could go up to € 2.65 million, Cayetano’s second forecast for JN last year. …
But there have been a few real estate deals that Pinto da Costa and Pinho wanted to gamble on, using money taken from FC Porto – through player commissions and the sale of Altice television rights – resulting in a real estate company in which they are both partners. … This company is engaged in the sale and purchase of properties, some of which are located in the privileged areas of Lesa da Palmeira and Porto, one of which is directly opposite Estádio do Dragão.
A prosecutor’s investigation is carrying out these deals with a fine-toothed comb to prove that the money stolen from the committees of FC Porto (in whose decision-making process the president would have enormous power) and through Pedro Piño, went to the Pinto commission. Da Costa pockets, Operation Extension centerpiece. Thus, among the various institutions that were searched for in the past week, there were several real estate companies associated with Pinho, such as Imonevogilde Imobiliária and Rebelriver – Imobiliária, according to Nasser do Sol a source close to the process.
Money hidden in Banco Carregosa
To hide the whereabouts of the money transferred from FC Porto, which left a 40 millionth hole in the club’s turnover, Pinto da Costa, supported by elements of the SAD, resorted to an extensive network of intermediaries, businessmen and organizations that he was discarding. when they seemed too naked.
The money ended up in an account in the name of Pedro Pinho in Banco Carregosa (in which the businessman had 5% of the shares), but the main beneficiary of which was Pinto da Costa. In addition to the aforementioned real estate transactions, this illegal capital was used for a wide variety of expenses, from paying rent for his ex-wife, Fernanda Miranda, to paying for the services of a witch from Matosinhos who sent love off the railroad. and the ball into the opponent’s goal for 60 thousand euros per month.
In addition, the FCP president also gave € 100,000 to Fernando Madureira, the leader of the Super Dragons better known as the “monkey,” when he complained that he did not have the money to finish the house he was building. These bounties were offset by Madureira by collecting debts from the Dragon President.
Madureira, who has been repeatedly accused of intimidation, death threats or attacking those he dislikes, recently showed loyalty to Pinto da Costa: “We are not after you. We are behind you, next to you and in front of you. To get to you, they will have to kill us all, ”he promised this week during the general meeting of FC Porto, quoted by Record.
Pedro Pinho was a partner of Alexander Pinto da Costa
For the past eight years, the common denominator in the network created by Pinto da Costa has always been Pinho, a sports businessman born in the world of football: he is the son of former Rio Ave president Jose Maria Pinho. By the way, he has very good connections – for example, he is married to Sara Peneda, daughter of Jose Silva Peneda, former minister of Cavaco Silva – he entered the life of the President of Porto thanks to his youthful friendship with his son. Alexander Pinto da Costa.
Initially, in 2013, he and son Jorge Nuno worked hand in hand, receiving commissions from FC Porto through Soccer Energy, in which they were partners. Over the next three years, they managed to take advantage of the transfers of players Casimiro, Brahimi, Ricardo Quaresma and Vicent Abubacar, Soccer Energy’s main source of income.
The offenses in Casimiro’s case are a good example of his working methods. The Brazilian midfielder shone when he was loaned to Porto by Real Madrid at the end of 2014, prompting the Madrid club to rescue him by refusing to buy the Dragons. “The move to Porto was a very important decision. My life ”, which was considered by a player whom El Pais would even declare“ the lungs of Real ”, adding hundreds of games for this team.
Porto SAD cashed out € 7.5 million with Casimiro. Less than 1.26 million euros brokered by a sports company, which was later supposed to donate more than 700 thousand euros to Soccer Energy, Pinho and Alexandra, who played no real role in the deal, allegedly receiving money to return to the circle near Pinto da Costa.
The Alexander and Pinho duo scheme, which also included the Sporting Clube de Braga, Vitória de Guimarães and Tondela, which were ransacked last week, will collapse due to a disagreement generated by the leader of the Dragons. prioritize Pinho over his son. There was too much jealousy and Alexander left Soccer Energy in 2017.
Since then, he still received some suspicious orders from his father’s club, but nothing comparable to what Pinho received. Alexander then created SerialSport, which will receive only 650,000 euros from FC Porto between 2019 and 2020, hidden in the accounts of another sports company.
Pinho was on higher flights. However, like Alexander, he was “burned” in Football Leaks, being referred to by hacker Rui Pinto as being very close to Pinto da Costa, and he needed to be more careful about concealing money embezzled from FC Porto through his companies. Pesarp, PP Sports – formerly Energy Soccer – and N1 – Sports Career Management.
Jorge Mendes, another ally
There, Pedro Pinho turned to Bruno Macedo, a sports agent very close to Braga’s president Antonio Salvador, who was involved with the Big Three, but was later named frontman of the company’s president. Benfica, Luis Filipe Vieira, in Operation Red Card.
If today the name Macedo raises immediate suspicion, then it was not. Thus, Pinho still managed to get money from SAD Porto under the pretext of transferring players like Eder Militau or Felipe in 2019. The trick was to use Macedo’s companies, such as BM Consulting, which, while not acting as a real intermediary for the players, he billed Porto for these services, and the money ended up in Pinho’s hands.
However, Macedo could have created problems for the network created by Pinto da Costa. When they found out, they were caught during Operation Red Card, and the Porto executives’ investigation began with the Braga tax office’s case involving a request for reimbursement from Macedo in 2018.
Thus, the network created by the president of Porto had to look for new allies. He was joined by renowned sports agent of the stars Jorge Mendes and Deco, a historic dragon player turned businessman. Pinho, again, continued to maintain contact with Pinto da Costa in these operations, as evidenced by the wiretapping carried out at the start of Operation Expansion.
The procedure for Jorge Mendes, Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent, is different from that developed by Macedo and his partners. Until now, in the sports media, he was known as’ Mr. 10% ”, Mendes increased his commission to 15%, and the rest went to the“ blue bag ”of Pinto da Costa.
White and blue players Oliver Torres, Danilo Pereira and Fabio Silva passed Mendes. In the case of the latter, sold to Port Wolverhampton FC for 40 million euros, ten million euros were deducted from the SAD in 2020 – here they reached an incredible 25% commission on the value of the business, of which 3.275 million. euros went to Pedro Pinho’s company. And, presumably, the “blue bag” Pinto da Costa at Banco Carregosa.
