Christmas lighting controversy

Jardim has anulled a public tender for Christmas lighting, adjudicating the decorative lighting project to Luzosfera, a company owned by the SIRAM group, led by a PSD ex parliamentarian, Silvio Santos. The public tender was anulled when a number of companies impugned the Government decision. According to the Secretary of Tourism, none of the applicants had fulfilled the terms of the tender.

SIRAM's tender had been the lowest, 1,4 million per year, but the Government is now upping it by 500 million, bringing the yearly spending up to about two million Euros.

The prices for the Xmas illuminations were reduced as of 2006, when the Court Auditors made the public tender obligatory. In its report of that year the Court Auditors detected irregularities in the adjudicating process, acusing the Regional Government of having favoured the same company since 1996 - SIRAM - the company which also ran the logistics for the PSD election campaigns.

SIRAM is best known for the controversial mega project, 'Columbus Resort', in Porto Santo, which has since gone bust.