The Social Democratic Party is at the center of suspicion. In 2008, the Festa da Europa brought together several members of the European People’s Party (PPP) and PSD in Esposenda, including Rui Rio, the then president. Now the parliamentary immunity of Hugo Carneiro, the vice-president of the chamber, has been asked to be lifted due to “suspicions of irregularities in the party’s reporting.” Hugo Carneiro says clearly: “Zero. They didn’t hear me or contact us about organizing the event,” he told reporters this Thursday. The Social Democrat added that he would file a complaint because his explanations were not accepted. The MP will bring “a criminal case against three members of the organization who made slanderous accusations against me, calling into question my good name,” he says. Members of the European Parliament elected by the PSD, Paulo Rangel and Jose Manuel Fernandez, came to the defense of Hugo Carneiro. Both confirm that the event was entirely organized by PPE and that there was “full compliance with the law.” Both parliamentarians say they are ready to waive their parliamentary immunity in order to provide explanations. In their statement, they expressed surprise at the suspicions, since, according to them, the event was held “at the expense of the available resources of the European Parliament.” Luis Montenegro, president of the PSD, does not believe in the “misappropriation of funds” and hopes that the situation will become clearer.