MP Samuel Varela criticizes previous management of Brava City Council and admits "half-guilt" in Municipal Assembly session

Following the session of the Brava Municipal Assembly held on April 30, 2026, marked by the assessment of the City Council's management account for the financial year 2025, the debate between the benches was marked by divergent positions and a particularly incisive intervention by the MP for the MpD, Samuel Varela.

During his analysis, Varela defended the fact that a rigorous assessment of the accounts should be based on comparisons with similar periods, placing the emphasis on the previous administration led by Francisco Tavares. The MP called this management deeply damaging to the municipality, alleging practices such as influence peddling, favoritism of restricted circles, unjustified enrichment and the recurrent use of bank loans to pay associated companies.

Among the accusations, he also highlighted alleged illegal payments, failures to collect rents from municipal commercial spaces and transfers of funds without proper justification, which, he said, had contributed to the loss of funding for structuring projects for the island.

Despite the criticism, Varela acknowledged that the current municipal administration has shown growth of around 3%, albeit modest, stressing that the focus should be on investments with a direct impact on improving the living conditions of the population. He argued that a municipality with limited resources should prioritize the creation of opportunities and collective wealth, rather than benefiting individual interests.

During the session, MP Jorge Reverdes called for a consensus between the benches in order to enable a possible bank loan to boost the municipality's development. In response, Varela expressed conditional openness, stating that he will support financing aimed at investments with a public return, but will reject any initiative that benefits private interests.

Addressing the mayor Amândio Brito, the MP used a critical tone when he said that he will not support loans that repeat past practices, classifying them as misleading.

In the final part of his speech, Varela reaffirmed his political position as a convinced member of the MpD, ruling out any possibility of a coalition with the PAICV. He also took partial responsibility for the current state of municipal finances, acknowledging that over the course of almost four terms in office - including roles as a non-professional councillor and municipal deputy - he had supported decisions that had contributed to the municipality's indebtedness.

The MP pointed to the resignation of Orlando Bala as a turning point in municipal management, claiming that, from that moment on, practices intensified that resulted in financial difficulties for the municipality.

Varela concluded by guaranteeing greater rigor in his future actions, stating that he will use his mandate to defend the interests of the people of Brava and only support initiatives that are, in his words, "clean, decent and transparent".