Africa-Press – Cape verde. The director of Praia Airport, Marcelo Lopes da Silva, was not suspended following allegations of sexual and moral harassment, but the ASA administration guarantees that an investigation process is underway to determine what was said against his collaborator.
Right after the publication, in the previous issue of this Journal, of the article related to alleged cases of sexual and moral harassment at Praia Airport, the director of that infrastructure, decided to leave the scene.
But, according to what A NAÇÃO was able to find out from the chairman of the Board of Directors (PCA) of ASA, Jorge Benchimol, Marcelo Lopes da Silva is not suspended, but “on vacation”.
However, according to an email we had access to, Marcelo Lopes da Silva communicated to his employees that he will be “absent from the service from the 5th of this month, being replaced by the security coordinator, Leovegildo Barros”.
Also following our article, a petition was circulated in order to mobilize Praia Airport employees and collaborators to give favorable testimonies to Marcelo Lopes da Silva, accused of committing acts of sexual and moral harassment in the workplace and misuse of public resources. The idea is to counteract the portrayal of a sexual predator, instead drawing the profile of a “good person”, friend of everyone, etc.
PCA devalues complaint
Contacted by A NAÇÃO, in order to find out about the measures adopted in the face of accusations of harassment at Nelson Mandela Airport, the CEO of ASA, Jorge Benchimol, began by dismissing the complaints, considering that they are anonymous.
“First of all, it is an anonymous complaint and, therefore, it should be treated as such, that is, it has a relative importance”. However, “even though it was an anonymous complaint, the Board of Directors opened an investigation process, which is ongoing”.
Confronted also with complaints of misuse of public resources, namely fuel, by the director of Praia Airport, here the CEO of ASA said he was not aware of this practice on the part of his collaborator.
Jorge Benchimol also said that at the moment there is no suspension, but guaranteed that an investigation process is underway. “The director of Praia Airport, Marcelo Lopes da Silva, is on vacation and there is a replacement in his place”.
attentive ICIEG
Speaking to the press, when asked to comment on the case of the director of Praia Airport, Marcelo Lopes da Silva, who is being accused of alleged practices of sexual and moral harassment in the workplace, as well as the misuse of public resources , the president of ICIEG, Marisa Carvalho, defended the creation of mechanisms within the country’s institutions and companies that allow complaints of harassment at work.
“We are aware of this and others that we are receiving, timid but consistent complaints, and it is the same problem that we have with the other complaints is that the ones that reach us are anonymous and we really have no way to act and we, however much we want to , being anonymous complaints, we really have no way to move forward”, he said.
However, according to Marisa Carvalho, since the complaints are anonymous, the ICIEG cannot act, since, with the revision of the Penal Code, in 2021, harassment at work ceased to be a public crime in which the institute could, yes, act in name of the victim, but since it is now a semi-public crime there is a need for the name of the victim.
Marisa Carvalho explained, however, that they are monitoring the situation and seeing the possibility of guaranteeing the safety of those involved so that this and other complaints are actually implemented and followed up.
Use of fuels for personal and family purposes
If, in relation to sexual harassment and moral harassment, the victims preferred to remain anonymous, for fear of reprisals, in relation to the use of fuel for family purposes, A NAÇÃO has data that proves this practice.
Marcelo Lopes da Silva is accused of supplying his personal vehicle and that of very close family members with service fuel at Praia Airport, more than 200 liters per month (see photos). The complainants consider that this situation deserves an investigation by the rightful authorities. It is, for all intents and purposes, the loss or diversion of a public resource (fuel), which is clearly illegal.
In addition, the director of Praia Airport is accused, according to the same complaint, of making “improper use” of “service vehicles to transport building materials to his personal and private home, use of airport employees under his management to carry out work, during working hours, in their personal and private home”.
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