Luís Araújo, the national tourist authority’s president, is a part-owner of a company that leases rooms to tourists, but has assured the media that this presents "no incompatibility" with his daytime job.
Araújo owns 15% of the shares in Casas do Barão Lda., a company that owns a building in the Chiado area of Lisbon that lets rooms to tourists and is able to buy and sell property and offer 'consultancy services' which Araújo is well placed to do when considering his daytime job. The majority partner of Casas do Barão Lda., is Araújo’s husband.
Araújo’s “no incompatibility" claim will be looked at his boss, the Secretary of State for Tourism, who will be well aware that Turismo de Portugal is part of the working group involved in creating local accommodation (AL) regulations and that it has supervisory powers.
Araújo told Público that the situation would only be serious if he took advantage of the position, which he says he has not done.
Turismo de Portugal is a ‘special regime public institute’ and, therefore, its managers "must declare their interests and be prevented from taking part in deliberations in which they could have an interest."
The tourist authority’s code of conduct states that employees "can not intervene in the appraisal or in the decision-making process, whenever procedures, acts or contracts in which the spouses, relatives or relatives are directly or indirectly interested."
