Some of the apartments in Cascais Hilton, which was ordered to be demolished, have already been sold..

A huge Hilton complex is being erected right by the sea in Parede, one of the most beautiful spots in Cascais. So far everything seems up to Cascais standards. But as the details behind the incident are revealed, the scale of the scandal is astonishing. There is an ongoing case in the Sintra Administrative and Tax Court, and the Prosecutor's Office wants the complete demolition of 37 flats on the top three floors of the project, simply on the grounds that they exceed the permitted building height. Do you know what the most absurd part is? At least 9 flats on those three floors for which a demolition decision was requested have already been sold. You look at JLL's advertisements, 1+1 flats start from 625 thousand Euros; 5.1 million Euros are requested for the 4-room duplex on the 9th floor. If the court gives the final decision and demolishes those floors, the compensation to be paid by both the municipality and the contractor company will be incalculable. Politics, Privatized Coastline and Million Dollar Games The names that emerged from this huge project are not ordinary. Miguel Pinto Luz, who was the Deputy Mayor of Cascais at the time and serves as the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing in the current government, is one of the main actors at the center of these agreements. Although Pinto Luz said, "I trust in justice, all decisions taken were in accordance with technical opinions," he is the target of serious accusations, along with the other municipal officials mentioned. The size of the job is not limited only to the height of the building. Look at this detail showing how rent is created: In 2020, Cascais Municipality sold an 823 square meter land within the National Ecological Reserve to the contractor company for 312 thousand Euros. Today, the price of a single 1+1 flat sold in the same project (625 thousand Euros) is exactly twice that of that huge land sold by the municipality! Moreover, in order to increase the construction intensity, they even tried to include and privatize the Maritime Public Area as we know it, that is, the rocky land under the coastal road. JLL also shamelessly markets it as "on a stone platform extending to the sea" in its advertisements. Public Loss of 24 Million Euros The account brought by former council member Clemente Alves clearly summarizes the bitter reality on the ground. He says that by giving up urban planning compensation, the municipality has done a huge favor to the private company. Normally, the amount that should go into the municipality's coffers is approximately 24 million Euros. With this money, 300 houses suitable for lower income groups could be built. But the municipality was content to collect only one tenth of this amount. There is currently a top secret criminal investigation being carried out by the prosecutor's office on suspicions of impropriety in public office, influence peddling and corruption. Environmental movements and neighborhood residents are pushing for the municipality to immediately cut off the water and electricity to the site and stop the construction. The municipality, on the other hand, says that it will take the lead and prepare its defense by October. The shadow of the digger is currently hanging over those million Euro flats sold with luxury life, sea view and romantic promises. While the public's rights are being fed to a few real estate funds, it is clear that the bill will again fall on the taxpayers. This case must not be abandoned. Source: Expresso