Albufeira Movement welcomes AdP to investigate Rui Cristina

O Movement Albufeira Sem Medo welcomed the Ethics Committee of Grupo Águas de Portugal (AdP) to have initiated investigations into an alleged conflict of interests of the mayor of Albufeira, as a member of the administration of Águas do Algarve.

At the beginning of the opening of the process of preliminary investigations by Grupo Águas de Portugal is a complaint made by the movement against Rui Cristina (Arriga), because the mayor decided to embark on the work of the desalinizer of the Algarve and be, at the same time, non-executive vowel of Águas do Algarve, responsible for the construction of the infrastructure, framed the civic group in a statement.

“The complaint was registered on November 3, 2026. On November 6, the process went to the state of ‘investigation initiated’, in the category of conflict of interest and/or accumulation of functions, and the Report Manager communicated to the movement that ‘the Ethics Committee initiated a preliminary assessment of the above’,’ highlighted the movement, which is defined as “informal and independent”.

The simultaneous exercise of the two functions, indicated, “it raises questions of incompatibility” and may call into question a possible violation of provisions of the Code of Administrative Procedure, the Statute of Local Elections, the Statute of the Public Manager and the ethical regulations of the Águas de Portugal Group.

The movement moved forward with the complaint with a view to “defence of legality, transparency and good management of public resources”, and called for the removal of the mayor from the administration of the Algarve company.

Rui Cristina was appointed to office in the Algarve company on October 1, and on October 30, she advanced with the embargo of the work of the desalinizer as mayor of Albufeira, in the district of Faro.

Days after the denunciation, the civic structure also announced that it had advanced with a stake in the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Court of Auditors to request an urgent audit to determine the costs of the embargo decision and the clearance of any financial responsibilities by the local authority.

Since taking office as mayor of Albufeira, Rui Cristina has been the subject of several complaints by decisions taken and by words uttered in local bodies.

In August, he was accused by the Public Prosecutor of alleged crimes of discrimination and incitement to hatred, following statements about the Roma community made during an intervention in the Municipal Assembly.

The mayor is also the subject of a loss of mandate action related to the sister's appointment to municipal functions.

Rui Cristina has reacted through social media profiles, defending the legality of decisions taken as mayor of Algarve and stating that she was elected to defend the interests of Albufeirense and not to be at the service of installed interests.

The agency Lusa questioned Águas do Algarve about the complaint made by the movement, but the company refused to comment on it. Lusa also tried to obtain a reaction from Águas de Portugal to the information about the opening of an inquiry by the Ethics Committee, without success.