Portuguese newspapers have been reporting for months on the losses that the Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Lisboa has been facing since seeking internationalization in the lottery market. The Portuguese government has conducted numerous internal and external audits, and the losses have now reached 50 million euros.
Now, another creditor has come forward to demand payment of a debt. It is the Loteria do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Loterj wants Santa Casa to pay R$ 36 million (US$ 7,2 m) for a debt from MCE Intermediações e Negócios, responsible for the sale of Rio de Prêmios. Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Lisboa is the main shareholder of the company that failed to comply with contractual clauses in the operation of the lottery.
The SIC Notícias portal reported that "in Brazil, a public company demands that Santa Casa de Lisboa assume a debt of millions and admits to knocking on the door of the Portuguese state" in a note that says the entity, with over 500 years, is "under crossfire due to a financial hole of millions" of euros.
In the internationalization process, the entity saw Brazil as a major market and acquired a financial stake in MCE, gaining access to the necessary knowledge for operations in the country, essential for achieving business expansion goals.
In April of last year, before leaving, the former head of SCML, Edmundo Martinho, announced that the company had been chosen to, exclusively and in consortium with Banco de Brasília, explore and operate games and lotteries in the Federal District. However, on May 8, the Federal District Court of Auditors ordered the suspension of the deal, and the agreement was terminated.
SIC Notícias reported that since June of last year, MCE has not transferred funds from Rio de Prêmios, which disappeared from the market in November, replaced by another product.
Hazenclever Lopes Cançado, president of Loterj, told SIC that there was misappropriation and undue enrichment. He believes that since MCE is controlled by Santa Casa, it is their responsibility to honor the payment, and that "the Portuguese state has a debt with the state of Rio de Janeiro."
Source: GMB
