The President of IL considered the explanations given this Thursday by the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR) regarding the operation “Influential Man” and the autonomous investigation against the Prime Minister “very reasonable”, insisting that António Costa only needs to provide further clarifications.
At the end of a visit to the Lisbon Games Week in Lisbon, Rui Rocha was asked about statements by Lucília Gago in which the PGR assured that it did not feel responsible for the dismissal of the Prime Minister and said that the last paragraph of the statement published on November 7 of the investigation into António Costa was associated with the “need for transparency.”
“There was a version that we needed to know, the version of the prosecutor (…) The explanation she gave is very reasonable, it is a matter of transparency, in this message it made sense that there was information about an investigation that focused on the prime minister” , – he said.
According to the IL leader, if this clause had not been included today, the prosecutor’s office could be accused of “withholding information relevant to the case.”
“At the moment there is an explanation that is still missing: the explanation of the prime minister,” he said, insisting that António Costa answer in writing the questions addressed to him by IL.
The party wants to know “whether the Prime Minister proposed to the President of the Republic that the PGR go to the Belém Palace” and, if so, whether António Costa clarified his purpose with this proposal.
“We have an outgoing prime minister who has not only contributed to the stagnation of the country, but also to the degradation of institutions. Republic,” he criticized, calling on the Portuguese to “make the right choice in the next legislative elections, on March 10, to restore the dignity of the institutions.”
“We cannot allow António Costa, in the final stage of his mandate, to reduce everything to degradation,” he added.
Asked if he was worried that the Portuguese would enter the election campaign period without all the information about the trial, Rui Rocha said he was worried about “pressure on justice.”
“An attempt to impose deadlines on the administration of justice, as the President of the Assembly of the Republic tried to do, is unacceptable. The investigation must go its own way independently and impartially. If this can be done before the elections, then great, if it can be done after that, because it is necessary.” , – he said.
In Portugal, on March 10, 2024, early elections will be held for legislative bodies appointed by the President of the Republic after the resignation of the Prime Minister.
António Costa was the subject of an investigation by the Ministry of State (MP) in the Supreme Court after suspects in the investigation into influence peddling in the Sines data center business named him as the person who interfered with the unlocking procedures.
The deputy believes that the Prime Minister interfered with the approval of the diploma, beneficial to the interests of the Start Campus company, which is responsible for the data center, the indictment says.
On the day of his dismissal, Costa refused to engage in “any illegal or objectionable acts.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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