João Vale e Azevedo
| João Vale e Azevedo | |
|---|---|
| Born |
João António de Araújo Vale e Azevedo 17 May 1957 Lisbon, Portugal |
| Occupation | Former lawyer and former chairman of S.L. Benfica |
| Religion | Christianity |
Criminal charge | Money laundering, fraud |
Criminal penalty | 10 years (expected release in 2021) |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated in the Estabelecimento Prisional de Lisboa |
| Spouse(s) | Filipa Vale e Azevedo |
João Vale e Azevedo (born 17 May 1957, in Lisbon) is a Portuguese man convicted of money laundering. He is a former lawyer and was the 31st president of S.L. Benfica.
Biography
Early life
In 1980, Vale e Azevedo was awarded a degree in law by the Law School of the University of Lisbon. Between 1979 and 1982 he was an assistant lecturer (monitor) at the same institution. From 1981 to 1983 he was a law consultant for the Portuguese Prime Minister Francisco Pinto Balsemão. In 1983 he co-founded a law firm - Vale e Azevedo & Associados, and was a managing partner of the firm until 2000. He was a vice-president of International Jurist and a member of the International Bar Association, Association Internationale des Jeunes Advocats, Union des Advocats Europeens and Bank Attorneys. Since 1983 he has been also a shareholder, CEO and/or chairman of several companies operating in different businesses, including finance, food, electricity and real estate.
Chairman of Benfica
In October 1997, Vale e Azevedo became the 31st president of Sport Lisboa e Benfica and the youngest ever. He won the elections held in the club to choose the personalities for that capacity with 51.1% of the votes. During Vale e Azevedo's three year presidency SL Benfica ran up huge debts and at times was unable to pay taxes or players' salaries. Portuguese Prosecutors also investigated 14 counts of embezzlement. These included allegations that Vale e Azevedo kept 1 million dollars from the transfer of Russian goalkeeper Sergei Ovchinnikov from Benfica to Portuguese club Alverca FC. Vale e Azevedo was indeed sent to jail while prosecutors investigated allegations that he embezzled at least $1 million (£680,000) from the club and laundered cash through offshore banks. In 2001, the then 45-year-old lawyer, had been under house arrest in his country home since February. Prosecutors, who feared he would flee the country or tamper with evidence, obtained his imprisonment the previous month.[1]
Emigration to the United Kingdom
Since 2006 Vale e Azevedo has lived in London. There he has been the chairman and CEO of a financial company with participations in sugar, cereals and etanol, as well as renewable energies.
On 12 November 2012, he was detained in London.[2]
Honours in Benfica
Roller Hockey (2 Titles)
Basketball (1 Title)
- 1 Portuguese SuperCup
References
- ↑ Benfica face financial uncertainty, BBC News (25 September 2001)
- ↑ Vale e Azevedo detained in London (12 November 2012) (Portuguese)
External links
| Preceded by Manuel Damásio |
President of Benfica 1997–2000 |
Succeeded by Manuel Vilarinho |