Start Campus, the company in charge of the Sines data center, confirmed that it was the subject of a search at its Lisbon facilities as part of an investigation into its lithium and hydrogen business.
In an official statement sent to Lusa, the company responsible for the construction of the SINES 4.0 data center confirmed that “it was the subject of a search carried out by judicial authorities at its sites as part of a wider investigation.”
“The company cooperates with authorities, providing all necessary and requested information to ensure a full and impartial investigation of all necessary facts,” he said.
On the same note, Start Campus reiterated “its full commitment to transparency, legality and integrity in all its operations and in all stages of the development of its investments in Portugal” and assured that it would “continue its activities and investments in Portugal.”
The investigation into the lithium and hydrogen projects led to the resignation of Prime Minister Antonio Costa on Tuesday after the ministry said it was the subject of an independent Supreme Court inquiry into the matter.
The Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Vitor Escaria, Sines Mayor Nuno Mascarenhas, two Start Campus administrators and a consultant were arrested on Tuesday as part of an investigation into the lithium and green hydrogen case.
The information was officially confirmed by the General Prosecutor’s Office (GPR) in a note published late in the morning justifying the arrests.
The IRR believes that there is a “danger of escape, continuation of criminal activity, disruption of the investigation and disruption of public order and tranquility.”
Although not all those detained have been identified, some media have already indicated that the consultant is Diogo Lacerda Machado, a lawyer and businessman close to the Prime Minister, and that the administrators of the Start Campus de Sines company will be Afonso Salema and Rui Oliveira Neves. .
Under the direction of the Directorate General of Investigation and Prosecution (DCIAP), 17 house searches were carried out, five searches were carried out at a lawyer’s office and home and 20 searches of a non-domestic nature, namely premises used by the head of the Prime Minister’s Office. ; in the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change; in the Ministry of Infrastructure and the State Secretariat for Energy and Climate; in the Sines City Council and in the headquarters of other public institutions and companies.
Prime Minister António Costa today asked the President of the Republic to resign and he accepted it after the State Ministry reported that he was the subject of an independent Supreme Court investigation into the lithium and hydrogen projects.
The president convened the parties for a round of hearings at the Belem Palace in Lisbon on Wednesday and will meet with the Council of State on Thursday.
In a statement at the Palácio de São Bento, António Costa refused to commit “any illegal or objectionable act” and expressed his full readiness to cooperate with justice “in whatever he deems necessary.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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