The Civic Front Association requested this Saturday that the Ministry of Public Affairs summon the Speaker of Parliament to be questioned as a witness in an investigation that led to searches of the SDP headquarters and the home of former President Rui Río.
The request is expressed in a letter addressed to the Attorney General of the Republic, Lucilia Gago, signed by the President of the Civic Front, Paulo de Morais, a former PSD militant and former “number two” Rui Rio in the Chamber of Porto.
According to the Civic Front, Augusto Santos Silva should be given the “opportunity” to “clarify that the control and checks are carried out by the Assembly of the Republic in order to guarantee the proper use of financial and human resources to support parliamentary groups, as well as the legitimacy of the actions of the parties in this regard.”
Based on a request addressed to the Attorney General of the Republic, who heads the highest body of the State Ministry that conducts the investigation, the association cites an “exclusive statement” by the President of the Assembly of the Republic, which “appears to provide absolute certainty as to the facts that are the subject of the judicial investigation.”
According to the Civic Front, Augusto Santos Silva first declared that carrying out searches would be a “crime on the air” on television, and then assured that “there is no question of any excessive funding of political parties.”
On July 12, the SP mobilized about 100 inspectors, information technology and finance experts for 20 searches, including at the home of former SDP President Ruy Rio in Porto and at the party’s national headquarters in Lisbon, as part of an investigation by the Lisbon Regional Department of Investigation and Criminal Affairs (DIAP) on suspicion of embezzlement and abuse of power.
The searches at Rui Rio’s home and at the SDP headquarters were reported live on CNN that day.
This is about the alleged misuse of funds for parliamentary group offices with staff working for the party outside parliament.
Rui Rio reacted with harsh criticism of the State Ministry, saying that the practice was spreading to all parties.
The current SDP chairman, Luis Montenegro, expressed his conviction that the law was respected and criticized the disproportion of funds.
In the letter, Civic Front expresses satisfaction with “the news that the prosecutor’s office will be preparing to extend the ongoing investigation” and suggests that “all parties that have had parliamentary groups since 2018, when the latest version of the Political Party Financing Law was adopted and entered into force.”
Established in 2016, the Civic Front bills itself as “an impartial association dedicated to protecting the public interest.”
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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