Ana Catarina Mendes argues that the government has “always, always, always followed the law” in the lithium and hydrogen business.

The deputy minister of parliamentary affairs said this Thursday that the government has “always, always, always complied with the law” in the lithium and hydrogen business, and accused Chegu of scheduling the debate because of the “urgency of the elections.”

“In protecting public interests, the government has never gone beyond the strictly legal. It has always, always, always respected the law,” stressed Ana Catarina Mendes.

The minister was speaking in parliament during an urgent debate requested by Chega over the Sines data center and lithium and green hydrogen business.

“In fact, this is the plan that the government has always had, and which is based on results: to attract investment to Portugal, foreign investment that develops the country, and that is why today we can talk about approximately 56 billion foreign investments that created 640 thousand jobs,” he said.

Ana Catarina Mendes also noted that “the government remains firmly committed to protecting the public interest and firmly respecting institutions and the law, because it cannot be otherwise.”

In her first speech, the Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Affairs accused Chega of scheduling these debates in the Assembly of the Republic because they had “the obvious urgency of an election campaign rather than a need for clarification.”

The minister also accused party leader Andre Ventura of wanting to “have a social media moment” rather than “discuss strategies” for the country.

Ana Catarina Mendes said the debate should be political and not “innuendo”, in response to President Chegi’s accusations of “collusion” and “cronyism”.

At the start of the debate, Andre Ventura questioned whether the government could ensure that “lithium, hydrogen and data center deals are carried out in accordance with the law, in compliance with the law, the Constitution and the rules of administrative contracts.” and whether “licensing was carried out in protected areas.”

“We must try to understand whether we can be calm as a country with deals worth hundreds of billions of euros on lithium, hydrogen and ‘data centres’, or whether this will be the biggest scandal and the biggest corruption octopus in the near future.” years,” he said.

President Chegi also confirmed that if he has “the votes and MPs for it” after the March 10 legislative elections, the party “on the first day of the next legislature” will move forward with a parliamentary commission of inquiry” on these matters.

As for the PSD, MP Hugo Carvalho distanced himself from Chega, saying his party did not need to “get involved in legal proceedings to belittle its political opponent.”

The Social Democrat also said that he “has no interest in discussing this or that ruler or starting a political policy,” and accused Chegu of “inciting distrust in institutions and rulers” and the PS of conducting “ordinary propaganda, without solutions for people”.

Bernardo Blanco of Illinois said that “this case should not tarnish the necessity and relevance of the projects” and called for a rethink of “the scope of legislation that exists in Portugal.”

The Liberal MP also stressed that “the behavior of the next government must be very different,” noting that “the dignity of political institutions has been greatly discredited among citizens.”

The PS, represented by MP Carlos Pereira, emphasized the importance of these investments for the economic growth of the country.

The deputy chairman of the parliamentary panel also accused the Chegi leader of having a “skillful strategy” that is “always the same”, regardless of the topic, and which is to “drag everyone into the mud.”

“But there is a problem that we cannot overcome, and that is that in the mud Mr. Andre Ventura is better than all of us, no one can compete with him,” he said, and this expression earned him an award. remark by the President of the Assembly of the Republic, who considered this formulation “excessive”.

BE MP Joana Mortagua questioned Chega’s “sudden interest” in environmentalism and noted that he was born on the day the prime minister resigned, arguing that “just under a year ago Chega defended oil drilling on the coast.”

Noting that Chega is “supported, financed and dependent on families like Mello, Champalimaud or Cesar do Paço”, PCP MP Bruno Dias stressed that “Portugal cannot be plundered” and suggested that “anyone who tries to throw mud at anything that moves certainly means to deceive a guilty conscience on this matter.”

PAN’s sole MP, Ines Souza Real, said that “we must move from words to actions, rather than making election promises,” while Rui Tavares of Livre noted that “it is necessary not only for hydrogen to be green, but also transparent. “