The former deputy ombudsman of Santa Casa de Lisboa Fernando Sousa Afonso denied this Tuesday that he had any knowledge or involvement in the internationalization of social games, but revealed that the institution assumed a guarantee of one million euros because of the Mozambican operator.
In front of the deputies of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the strategic and financial management and political supervision of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML), Fernando Paes Sousa Afonso stated, when asked about the internationalization of social games, that the institution had no operation outside Portugal during the period in which he took office.
However, when confronted with statements by former provider Pedro Santana Lopes about the presence of SCML in Mozambique, Sousa Afonso took the opportunity to remember that the existence of a gaming department in Mozambique predates the independence of the former Portuguese colony.
According to the official, SCML decided to “have a closer presence in Mozambique” in 2011, having started to preside over SOJOGO’s board of directors, which would justify the provider at the time going frequently to the country, as the operator had ” sustainability issues”.
According to the former deputy ombudsman, SCML never obtained profits from its participation in SOJOGO, however the operation continued, having even revealed that the institution had to take on a guarantee of one million euros for a Mozambican bank to lend to SOJOGO the amount necessary to “rebalance the financial situation”.
He assured that everything was known to the Board, as SOJOGO’s accounts were approved at the general meeting.
Source: www.jornaldenegocios.pt
