The Prime Minister said on Monday that he could only accept it as a pure coincidence that the Ministry of Justice opened an investigation into the twins being treated at Santa Maria Hospital on the day he published his investigation.
This is how António Costa responded to a question asked to him during an interview with TVI about the case of Portuguese-Brazilian twins who were treated in Portugal with one of the most expensive drugs in the world, in connection with which the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, confirmed that he had received an email from his son Nuno, whom he followed in a letter to the government.
When asked whether he knew that his former Secretary of State for Health, Lacerda Sales, had met the son of the President of the Republic, the leader of the executive branch replied that he did not know, and said that he only learned about this case from the TVI reports that began to air 3 November.
“Now I went to see what happened. In fact, a letter came from the President of the Republic, and a package of six letters was sent to the Ministry of Health, one on this case and five on other cases,” he said. said.
The Prime Minister was then asked whether it was a coincidence that the prosecutor’s office opened an investigation on the same day as the case against him from Operation Influential Man became known.
“Well, I can only understand it as a coincidence. Do you have any idea that this is not so?” the leader of the executive branch responded, addressing journalist Nuno Santos.
Nuno Santos replied that he was only asking questions, and the prime minister noted: “Look, I’m not one for conspiracy theories and it doesn’t occur to me that this isn’t pure coincidence.”
“I mean, let’s see, this case has started to be considered on TVI. I think it was four days before the announcement that forced me to resign. If the case was filed on this day, I can only understand it as a coincidence. If not. If it were a coincidence, we would be in a scenario that we’d better not think about,” he said.
When asked about the worst moment in his eight years as prime minister, António Costa mentioned June 17, 2017.”
“It was the most terrible moment I have ever experienced, helplessness and drama. I arrived in Pedrogan the next day, the bodies were still in the cars, I will never forget what I saw, the smell, the whole feeling “It was the worst day of my life as Prime Minister and I was faced with a feeling of powerlessness in the face of a natural phenomenon of terrible proportions. Worse than Covid-19,” he said.
Asked if he had ever met former Secretary of State, lawyer and friend Diogo Lacerda Machado, detained for questioning as part of Operation Influential Man, he replied: “He is my friend. I know a lot of people misunderstood when I said I used a bad best friend expression. Fortunately, he knew exactly what I wanted to say,” he emphasized.
When asked if he knew that today was the birthday of the President of the Republic, António Costa replied that he did not remember and described himself as a terrible participant in birthdays.”
“I’m glad you remember because then I’ll call as soon as possible to congratulate you.”
Only once I called him almost midnight, and he said that good congratulations are those that are given early in the morning, and not at the end of the night,” he said.
As for his professional future after giving up political functions, the prime minister said that he does not know yet and has not thought much about it.
“I was a professional before I entered political life; I was a lawyer for over ten years. And I really enjoyed being a lawyer. For those who have been in political life for many years, it is not easy to return to law because the type of law that is required is easy to understand. Anyone who hasn’t practiced for that many years is the type of law I don’t want to apply,” he explained.
He then noted that political life is not just about holding political office.
“I didn’t say that I would leave politics, I said that I would not hold public office. I intend to have my own opinion, I can write for newspapers, I can go to demonstrations, I can go to rallies,” he said.
When asked again if he would admit to being a commentator, he replied: “I don’t think I should.”
“Whoever holds the post of prime minister should show some restraint and modesty when commenting on who will be next,” he explained.
Continuing to talk about his professional future, he added: “I live off my work.” “So it’s time for me to go to work, and that’s what I’ll do with pleasure.”
PMF // JPS
Lusa/The End
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.