PRAIA CHAMBER SELLS BABILÔNIA - HERITAGE OF THE STATE OF CAPE VERDE - THROUGH A SHADOWY DEAL! - Article by Maika Lobo
The city of Praia is once again the scene of a large-scale real estate controversy. The City Council, led by Mayor Francisco Carvalho, has reportedly finalized the sale of the iconic Babilónia housing complex, located in the upscale Prainha neighborhood, to a private foreign construction company.
THE MUNICIPAL STATE HIT THE NATIONAL STATE!
The operation raises serious legal and political questions, since it involves a property that formally belongs to the State of Cape Verde and not to the municipality.
Being a heritage of high historical and real estate value in Cape Verde.
Built between the late 1970s and early 1980s by the then government of the First Republic, Babilónia was designed to house members of the Government, foreign aid workers, senior State officials, judges and prosecutors.
Set on a plot of land measuring approximately 11,000 square meters, the complex includes 28 houses, warehouses, gardens and internal streets, forming a sort of gated community of high standards for the time.
Despite the visible deterioration caused by decades of lack of maintenance, Babilónia remains one of the most important housing complexes in the country, especially considering its historical significance, with a market value of over 700 million Cape Verdean escudos. Its privileged location, right in Prainha, has fueled proposals for its redevelopment, including plans for a five-star hotel, a facility the capital lacks.
IT SEEMS LIKE JUSTICE IS GOING AFTER EVERYONE, BUT EXCEPT FRANCISCO CARVALHO! WHAT A SHAME!
Information gathered indicates that, although the property's title belongs to the State, the City Council negotiated its direct sale with a well-known foreign construction company that prefers to remain in the shadows. To circumvent potential legal constraints, the company reportedly delegated full powers to a law firm, tasked with registering and subsequently marketing the Babilónia lots.
In practice, information is circulating that the lawyer involved has begun selling plots to private individuals, despite this being a legally null and void transaction, since the property remains state property and still houses public services and resident families.
LET'S ASSUME THAT THE BABILÔNIA LAND IS PROPERTY OF THE PRAIA CITY COUNCIL. CAN FRANCISCO CARVALHO SELL THE LAND WHERE THE STATE OF CAPE VERDE BUILT AND URBANIZED 28 HOUSES?
AND NOBODY STOPS THIS OUTLAW?
Given the gravity of the situation, the Directorate-General for Property and Public Procurement (DGPCP) is reportedly preparing to file a lawsuit with the Attorney General's Office. The goal is to denounce what it classifies as an illegal sale, carried out outside the law and likely to generate serious property conflicts and instability in public institutions.
OPEN QUESTIONS!
The case raises questions that cannot be ignored:
1- How was it possible to sell an asset that does not belong to the City Council?
2-Who benefits from this operation?
3-Where is the transparency of public management?
4-Francisco Carvalho wants to become Head of Government of the Republic with an agenda of what other businesses of this type?
5-Then they say that it is the MPD “that sold the land to foreigners”?
6-Then they say they are against privatization?
7-Francisco Carvalho sells a plot of land in the upscale area of Praia, where the State of the First Republic urbanized and built 28 public residences?
In addition to legality, fundamental principles are at stake, such as citizens' trust in institutions and the prevention of potential real estate speculation schemes, and some even speculate that money laundering may be at stake.
THIS IS ANOTHER TEST OF THE CREDIBILITY OF THE REPUBLIC'S INSTITUTIONS, ABOVE ALL THE CREDIBILITY OF THE NATIONAL STATE, THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE AND THE JUSTICE!
The controversy surrounding Babylon goes far beyond a dispute over property rights. It raises many other relevant questions about public institutions and the management of public assets!
It is an emblematic case of how public assets are managed, at a time when society demands greater rigor, oversight, and clarity in the decisions of state and municipal entities.
The unfolding of this judicial and political process could become a true test of the robustness of Cape Verdean institutions, their SERIOUSNESS — and their ability to ensure that the public interest prevails over private interests.
The Public Prosecutor's Office is the attorney for the State of Cape Verde. It does not need anyone's orders to act and protect public interests. This power is vested in the laws of the Republic.
Maika Lobo
