SIRP denies SIS coerced or threatened Federico Pinheira

The Information System of the Portuguese Republic refuted this Thursday the allegation that the SIS threatened or coerced the former Assistant Minister of Infrastructure, Frederica Pinheira, and expressed its willingness to “clarify”.

“SIRP/SIS categorically denies that it threatened or coerced Dr. Federico Pinheiro as part of contacts made with him to the extent that he handed over state equipment in his possession that could contain classified information,” the statement said. This is stated in a statement released by the office of SIRP Secretary General Maria da Graça Mira Gomes.

SIRP/SIS also declared its “full willingness to provide clarifications to the competent oversight authorities” except for the “duty of secrecy” and state secret regimes covered by these services.

Frederico Pinheiro said on Wednesday that he was threatened by the Security Information Service (SIS) and insulted and slandered by the Prime Minister and Joao Galamba, accusing the “powerful government machine” of creating a false narrative.

“As an anonymous citizen without the right to make decisions, I was threatened by the SIS, insulted and slandered by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Infrastructure,” Federico Pinheiro said during a hearing at the TAP Investigation Commission.

According to a description given by a former assistant to João Galamba, an SIS (Security Information Service) agent told him that he was under pressure “from above” and that it was better to resolve the matter “inside”.

“The person who called me is a person who identifies himself as an SIS agent. He says that he is calling because of the computer and the information that is there, ”Federico Pinheiro replied after being asked about the intervention of this person. in restoring his duty laptop after being discharged by phone on April 26.

Warned by family members about the competence of the SIS for this intervention, Frederico Pinheiro said he expressed his doubts to the agent, who “reports that he is under strong pressure from above”, admits that he knows that there is classified information on the computer and suggests that “better just “to solve the problem” in an amicable way.

According to the former deputy, “this threat is repeated more than twice.”

The Information System of the Portuguese Republic has the Strategic Defense Information Service (SIED) and the Security Information Service (SIS), which are the two operational divisions of the System and the only ones that can produce information.