Luis Bernardo criticizes Joana Mortagua’s “false and slanderous” allegations of ties to Global Media administrator

Communications consultant Luis Bernardo on Tuesday denied that he is a shareholder of Global Media Group (GMG) and criticized the public statement of blockade lawmaker Joana Mortagua.

In a letter addressed to Luis Graça, president of the Committee for Culture, Communications, Youth and Sports, the consultant explained the connection with GMG. “I am not a shareholder and do not perform any role as an administrator or manager,” he emphasized.

On Thursday, after parliamentary hearings on former TSF director Domingos Andrade, Blok de Esquerda expressed a desire to hear from Luis Bernardo regarding the alleged connections between the consultant and GMG administrator Paulo Lima de Carvalho. On Tuesday, Luis Bernardo highlighted the “totally false and slanderous assumptions” defended by MP Joana Mortagua.

“It turns out that the aforementioned administrator [Paulo Lima de Carvalho] was invited by shareholder Marco Galinha for a screening and selection process to which I had nothing to do. This fact, which the people themselves will surely witness, rules out all kinds of speculation about alleged connections and ulterior motives that are used to justify the reason for joining GMG,” he said.

“Only the company of which I am Chief Executive, WLP, was invited by the current Executive Committee as part of its advisory services to present the Group’s future strategic plan as part of its expansion into new markets and project opportunities. brands,” he said.

Regarding Blok de Esquerda’s position, the consultant criticized the “totally unacceptable” suspicions raised by Joana Mortagua. The deputy referred to Luis Bernardo’s previous functions as advisor to José Socrates.

“In the Marquis trial, in which former Prime Minister José Sócrates is involved, I was never heard, even as a witness, for the simple reason that I had nothing to do with the activity in question,” noted the consultant.

Read the letter in full:

Dear Chairman of the Committee on Culture, Communications, Youth and Sports!
Deputy Luis Graça,

While on the road between trips and having learned from news published in various media that I have been invited to attend a commission chaired by Your Excellency, but knowing that it is impossible to schedule this hearing due to the end of the current legislative session, I, however, consider it necessary to continue provide this clarification, the purpose of which is to prove that the assumptions made for such a request are completely removed from reality and have no meaning or basis.

I ask the President to send this letter to all deputies of the Commission, which I will also make public, in defense of my good name and reputation, to clarify those points that I consider the most relevant, in which I was mentioned in the above-mentioned Commission. and then in a public statement by Ms. Joana Mortagua:

1. No, I am not a shareholder and do not perform any role as an administrator or manager of Global Media Group (GMG), therefore I express my bewilderment and strangeness at the forced and artificial mention of my name in this document. The committee, based on completely false and slanderous assumptions, is trying to communicate with the administrator Paulo Lima de Carvalho.

2. It turns out that the above-mentioned administrator was invited by shareholder Marco Galinha for a selection and selection process in which I had nothing to do with. This fact, which will undoubtedly be witnessed by the people themselves, rules out all kinds of speculation about alleged connections and ulterior motives that are used to try to justify the reason for his joining GMG.

3. To be absolutely clear, only the company of which I am Chief Executive, WLP, was invited by the current Executive Committee, as part of the provision of advisory services, to present the future strategic plan of the Group within the framework of entering new markets and the opportunity to project the GMG brands, various multi-platforms and digital potential , similar to what WLP has done in other organizations with recognized results, especially in the media sector. The work, which is still ongoing, fits within the requested time frame, but, naturally, has reached a dead end, given the well-known situation.

4. More serious were the statements of the deputy Joana Mortagua, who, based on the functions she performed as an adviser to the former Prime Minister José Sócrates, qualified and extrapolated the suspicions in terms that I consider
completely unacceptable. Taking this opportunity, I would like to clarify to the deputy that in my personal activities, as well as in my ongoing and ongoing professional activities, I have never been suspected or accused in any legal process. In the Marquis trial, in which former Prime Minister José Sócrates is involved, I was never heard, even as a witness, for the simple reason that I had nothing to do with the activity in question. On the contrary, in this process my name is mentioned only in wiretaps, in which the fact that I at that time clearly supported
under the leadership of António José Seguro.

The distortion of the argument becomes obvious when, in about 15 years of professional activity related to government and working in cabinets with António Guterres, Pedro Silva Pereira and Manuel Maria Carrillo, as well as, apparently, José Sócrates, the statement of the deputy only strengthens the reference to José Sócrates. falsely implying a connection or intimacy that has not existed for over a decade.

In this regard, I would like to emphasize that for four years you supported a government led and composed of several former ministers, secretaries of state and advisers to José Sócrates, which is also an example of the very person who currently heads the government. Assembly of the Republic and which is still being asked to establish agreements with a possible future PS government, where, naturally, dozens or hundreds of employees who directly collaborated with the former Prime Minister mentioned above could be present. Judging by the criteria you used in your speech and the adjectives, I don’t know what to think. There is only one difference. In my particular case, I am not involved in any process and am not accused.

It is clear from the above that the political allegations underlying the invitation are devoid of material and formal significance, while there remains a strong offensive aspect, which in the appropriate authorities will be the subject of civil and criminal actions in defense of my good name and reputation. .

Mr. President, on your behalf, I ask you to accept best wishes to all deputies, officials and journalists present at the work of the Commission, and best wishes for a happy New Year.

Luis Bernardo
Lisbon, January 8, 2023