Category Archives: Useful Information

Water Bill -Digital Invoice

We have had many enquiries concerning the letter that is being sent with the water bills. Below is an English translated version which hopefully will be useful.

For added information, the form to be completed requires –

Name of Consumer (as appears on your current Water Bill)

Area de Leitura – shown in the attached photograph as No. 1

No. de consumidor – shown as No. 2 

Enderco electrónico pretendido envio da sua fatura digital – e mail address for the invoice to be sent

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Dear Consumer

Following the sustainable environmental policy and further to the administrative modernization, the Municipality of Aljezur will be implementing digital  invoices in the near future.

This project aims at achieving a more efficient relationship with our customers, by replacing the traditional water consumption bill on paper, with a digital format invoice. This policy is currently used by other service providers (electric and telephone companies), therefore, instead of receiving the usual bill by post, all consumers may now receive their bills sent directly to their email addresses, thereby reducing current expenditure costs and most importantly, contributing to a more sustainable environment.

In addition to receiving a bill by e-mail, with this new project consumers will have access to all invoices issued on the Town hall’s website (http://servicosonline.cm-aljezur.pt/servicosonline/).

If you wish to receive a digital format invoice via your email on a monthly basis as from the beginning of next year, you are required to fill out the below form and return it to the following email address servicosonline@cm-aliezur.pt, or deliver it duly completed, to any of the water collection points (at the Town Hall services, or at the services of any of the Parish Boards belonging to this County).

We are counting on your cooperation!

We hereby additionally inform you that you may already make use of the online service made available by the Aljezur Town Hall´s  website, to submit your applications without the necessity of going to the services personally.

Register now and enjoy the benefits of this service.  Do not hesitate to contact us if you need help with this process as we will be happy to assist you.

Car Sharing

Car2

This may be a useful tip for Vale da Telha residents or visitors travelling to and from Faro Airport…
One of our members sent us this e-mail, after joining the scheme:
“I wondered if you had seen the web site for BlaBlaCar.   It is a car sharing scheme worldwide. I did think it would be useful for people to know about it, to offer or to be able to get trips to and from the airport.
“The day I  registered  a lady was offering a lift to  Lagos from Aljezur for 1 euro!”
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We checked the website out ourselves and at the time we checked someone was offering a lift from Aljezur to Faro Airport for two people at €9 apiece!
The website is shown here:
www.BlaBlaCar.pt/
Check it out–you may find it suits your needs.

 

IPTV. SET TOP BOX To receive TV channels

imageAndy Fisher of Expat TV will be demonstrating this system on Wednesday 26th Feb. at 7pm in the Piranha Bar.

All BBC and ITV channels are available as well Channel 5 and all Free View and movie channels and many more. Plus 14 day catch up. Come along and have all your questions answered.

.

New Driving Laws in Portugal

From the Algarve Daily News:

RoundaboutMore than 60 amendments to Portugal’s Road Traffic Act came into force on New Year’s Day, including the lowering of the alcohol limit for professional drivers and drivers who recently have passed their test, new rules for cyclists and new rules for the nation’s multitude of beautifully constructed roundabouts.

The Highway Code now provides for the creation of ‘residential areas of coexistence,’ ie where man and machine operate in perfect harmony with specific rules for traffic such as speed limits reduced to a gentle 20kmph.

There is an important paperwork change – Portuguese identification cards now are needed if the driver does not have the new citizen card. It is hoped that foreign drivers will be OK with a passport as non-Portuguese citizens are neither entitled to an ID card nor a citizen’s card. Many expats do not have fiscal cards but should carry the paper document, free from Finanças, with their fiscal number on it.

The law that fiscal numbers must be produced when asked is to enable authorities to check if a driver is in debt with the taxman. Failure to present the card will result in a fine of €30. Whether this is to be challenged by the over-burdened Constitutional Court or not remains to be seen but the increase in spying into citizens’ financial affairs by the traffic police will do nothing to improve the pact between state and citizen.

There is an important change at roundabouts. The only road users that can use the right-hand lane at a roundabout are those that are taking the first exit. Everyone else must use the inner lane i.e. if going straight ahead or turning left. The fine if you get this new maneuver wrong is between €60 and €300 and over the next few weeks the GNR are likely to be perched at their favourite roundabouts, waiting….

Annoyingly, different sources of information have different interpretations of this new rule with some suggesting that the right hand lane is for both the first and second exits. More clarification will be needed so in the meantime stick to the IMTT’s interpretation, right hand lane – first right only.

The new code reduces the alcohol level permitted to 0.2 grammes per litre of blood for drivers on probation i.e. those that have held a full license for less than 3 years, and for drivers of rescue service vehicles, taxi drivers and commercial drivers of vans and trucks.

In the event of an accident, in addition to the mandatory test for alcohol blood level, there now will be screening for drug use using rather accurate test kits.

Cyclists gain new rights with new rules giving them equal rights to vehicles in many cases.

The police are required to inform any driver fined more than €200 that he or she can pay the fine in installments of €50 or more, over a period not exceeding 12 months.

Mobile phone and i-Pod headphones with two earpieces are banned but those with a single earpiece are still allowable. No, you can’t say you were only using one of the earpieces as double earpieces are banned totally.

Note from the President of the Câmara

Amovate have today received an advisory note from the President of the Câmara. We have obtained a computer generated translation into English and attached is both the original and the translation.

The main purpose of this note is to advise members that the Court of Appeal in Evora has overturned the Judgement made by the Lagos Court in June 2012

The President is unsure that people are aware of this decision and he wanted people to know the facts:

 

Estimados:

Em anexo nota que remetemos à imprensa em Maio do corrente ano, no âmbito do recurso que haviamos apresentado para o Tribunal da Relação de Évora e que declarou NULO o acordão/sentença do Tribunal de Lagos, a propósito do processo de Vale da Telha, facto que pode ainda não ser do conhecimento de alguns de vós.

Com a habitual estima e consideração, apresento os meus respeitosos cumprimentos.
03/09/2013
José Amarelinho

Tribunal da Relação Évora, declara NULO acórdão proferido!

No âmbito do processo 592/03.2TAEVR, no qual eram arguidos, entre outros, Jose Manuel Velhinho Amarelinho e Manuel de Jesus Marreiros, demos conta em junho de 2012, do acórdão, proferido pela Meritíssima Juíza Presidente do Coletivo do Tribunal Judicial de Lagos, que nos sentenciou como à altura tornámos público.

De igual modo queremos hoje trazer ao vosso conhecimento a decisão do Tribunal da Relação de Évora, para onde havíamos recorrido e que declarou nulo o acórdão então proferido.

Sem prejuízo da leitura integral do acórdão agora produzido, consideramos pertinente destacar as passagens que abaixo passamos a reproduzir/transcrever:

(…)”…,em momento algum foi comunicada aos Arguidos Manuel José de Jesus Marreiros e José Manuel  Velhinho Amarelinho a possibilidade de imposição da perda de mandato.

Deste modo, a imposição aos Recorrentes da perda de mandato prevista na alínea f) do artigo 29 º da Lei nº 34/87, de 16 de julho, constitui alteração da qualificação jurídica dos factos descritos na acusação sem que tivesse sido cumprido o formalismo exigido pelo artigo 358º do Código de Processo Penal.

O que acarreta a nulidade da sentença prevista na alínea b) do nº 1 do artigo 379º do Código do Processo Penal …”

(…) “As regras constantes do artigo 374º do Código de Processo Penal corporizam a exigência consagrada no artigo 205º, nº1 da Constituição da Republica Portuguesa – dever de fundamentação das decisões dos Tribunais que não sejam de mero expediente.

Dever de fundamentação que, reportado à sentença, abrange a matéria de facto e a matéria de direito, para que tal peça processual contenha os elementos que, por via das regras da experiência ou de critérios lógicos, conduziram o Tribunal a proferir aquela decisão e não outra.

Da conjugação dos mencionados preceitos legais decorre que a sentença deve ser fundamentada e que a sentença que não seja fundamentada é nula”(…)

(…)”Não basta, pois, uma declaração genérica tabelar – que lesaria as garantias de defesa  do arguido, por não assegurar a apreciação de toda a matéria da acusação e da defesa, permitindo julgamentos implícitos e subtraídos a toda e qualquer fiscalização -, sendo imprescindível que a fundamentação, como base de um processo decisório, se exteriorize em termos que permita acompanhar o percurso cognoscitivo e valorativo que explicite, justificando, uma concreta tomada de posição jurisdicional”(…)

(…)”Concluindo, a sentença recorrida exibe uma deficiente análise critica da prova produzida, não permitindo aos seus destinatários e também a esta Relação alcançar o raciocínio efetuado pelos julgadores subjacente à factualidade que consideram como provada e não provada.

Deficiência que equivalendo à ausência de exame crítico da prova acarreta a consequência prevista na alínea a) do nº 1 do artigo 379º do Código do Processo Penal – nulidade da sentença.”(…)

(…)”O volumoso acervo documental reunido nos autos” que, na perspectiva dos Julgadores, demonstra as atuações dos Arguidos, não foi objeto de avaliação, nem no local próprio onde deve ser feita(motivação ou fundamentação da matéria de facto) nem em qualquer outro lugar.”(…)

(…)”…Tribunal recorrido limitou-se a relatar o conteúdo dos depoimentos produzidos, na parte em que os considerou relevantes, sem os conjugar, em concreto, com os outros meios de prova.”

(…)”As deficiências apontadas, equivalendo à ausência de exame critico da prova, acarretam a consequência prevista na alínea a) do nº 1 do artigo 379º do Código de Processo Penal – nulidade do acórdão.”

A todos, em particular aos Aljezurenses, agradecemos toda a amizade, solidariedade e preocupação sempre reveladas desde a primeira hora. Bem hajam!

Melhores cumprimentos.

José Amarelinho

Manuel Marreiros

Aljezur, 28 de Maio de 2013

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Dear Sirs:
Attached please note that reference is made to the press in May of this year, in the context of the appeal that we presented to the Court of Appeal of Evora which has declared null and void the sentence of the Court of Lagos, relating to the purpose of the process of Vale da Telha, a fact that may not be known to some of you.
With the usual esteem and consideration, I present my respectful greetings.
03/09/2013
José Amarelinho
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This is a computer-generated translation of the judgement sent by the Mayor…
Court of appeal Évora, declares NULL judgement!
59203.2 process TAEVR, in which were the accused, among others, Jose Manuel Amarelinho and Manuel de Jesus Marreiros, realized in June 2012, the judgment, delivered by the Honourable President of the collective of Judges of the Lagos Court, of which the sentence given to us was immediately made available to the public.
Similarly we would like to bring your attention to the findings of the court of appeal in Evora, to which we appealed to against the original sentence, today and to bring your attention to  their decision of which they ruled that the original sentence was null and void!
Without prejudice to the full reading of the judgment now produced, we consider it pertinent to highlight passages below we come to reproduce:
(…)”… at no time was it communicated to the Defendants Manuel José de Jesus Marreiros and José Manuel Old Yellowing the possibility of losing their mandate.
Accordingly, the imposition on the Recurring loss of mandate referred to in paragraph (f)) of article 29 of law No. 3487, of 16 July, is changing the legal classification of the facts described in the indictment without had been fulfilled the formalism required by article 358º of the code of criminal procedure.
What entails the nullity of the sentence referred to in paragraph b) of paragraph 1 of article 379º of the code of criminal procedure. ”
(…) “The rules contained in article 374º of the code of criminal procedure are part of the requirement enshrined in article 205º, paragraph 1 of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic – obligation to state reasons in the decisions of the
(…)”Not just a generic statement table – that would interfere the guarantees of the accused’s defence, not to ensure the enjoyment of all matter of prosecution and defence, allowing implicit judgments and subtracted to any oversight, being essential that the statement of reasons, as the basis of a decision-making process, if he touches in terms that may accompany the cognitive path and value which is self-explanatory, justifying, a concrete judicial stance “(…)
(…)”In conclusion, the contested sentence displays a critical analysis of deficient evidence produced, not allowing your recipients and also this relationship reach the reasoning made by judges behind the factuality that consider how proven and unproven.
Disability which equivalent to absence of critical examination of the evidence entails the consequences referred to in (a)) of paragraph 1 of article 379º of the code of criminal procedure – invalidity of the sentence. “(…)
(…)”The voluminous documentary collection assembled in the records “that, in view of the Judges, demonstrates the actions of the Defendants, was the subject of evaluation, nor on the site itself where it should be made (motivation or justification of matter of fact) nor anywhere else.”(…)
(…)”…Court defendant merely report the content of the statements made, in so far as it considered relevant, without the balance, in concrete, with the other evidence. ”
(…)”The deficiencies identified, equivalent to the absence of critical examination
Everyone, in particular the people of Aljezure, we appreciate all the friendship, solidarity and concern always revealed since the first hour. Thank you!

Best Regards.

José Amarelinho

Manuel Marreiros