The PS parliamentary group in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira said this Thursday that the president of the regional government, having been accused, must request a waiver of his immunity and is “unable to remain in office.”
“The President of the Regional Government (Miguel Albuquerque) has already been declared a defendant and serious suspicions and charges against him have been averted (…), when will he ask to waive his immunity as a member of the Council of State? Is he capable of remaining in his position in the regional government and being at the forefront of the destinies of the region?” asked Victor Freitas, leader of the PS faction at the plenary session of the Madeira Parliament in Funchal.
The president of the regional government of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque (PSD), was named on Wednesday as a defendant in the process that led to the arrest of the president of the Chamber of Funchal, Pedro Calado (PSD), leader of the construction group AFA. , Avelino Fariña and Custodio Correia, CEO and main shareholder of the construction group SOCICORREIA, which is Avelino Fariña’s partner in several companies, according to a source in the investigation, Lusa said.
On Wednesday, the Police Judicial (PJ) carried out nearly 100 searches in Madeira and various locations on the continent as part of an investigation into alleged crimes related to active and passive corruption, economic involvement in business, malfeasance, receiving or offering undue advantages, abuse of power and influence peddling .
The head of the largest opposition chamber in the Regional Assembly (occupies 11 of the 47 seats in the hemisphere) emphasized this Thursday that “a politician is a prisoner of his word”, and recalled that in November 2023, during Operation Influential Man, he declared: that for Prime Minister António Costa “it has become impossible to continue to govern.”
On November 13, 2024, the then Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa, resigned after the Attorney General’s Office raised suspicions of interference in processes related to lithium and hydrogen exploration in the country. António Cosa concluded that the exercise of this position was incompatible with the existence of any suspicion.
As part of this operation, searches were carried out at the official residence of the Prime Minister and thousands of euros belonging to the head of his administration, Vitor Escaria, were discovered.
Infrastructure Minister João Galamba was one of the defendants in this process. “Isn’t the situation here more serious?” asked Victor Freitas, emphasizing that the mega-operation launched in Madeira has as one of its targets “not the chief of staff, but the vice-president of the regional government who has committed serious crimes.”
The Socialist leader recalled that because of this kind of suspicion, two commissions of inquiry have already been created in the Madeira Parliament: one regarding the concession of the International Business Center, and the other regarding “invented works.”
But, in his opinion, the majority of the SDP/DDS “whitewashed the conclusions”, since the PS/Madeira sent the documents to the prosecutor’s office, and now “justice works.” “We all understand that Pedro Calado cannot continue. And Miguel Albuquerque?” he insisted. For JPP, “the situation with the detention of Pedro Calado is not something surprising.”
Parliamentary leader Elvio Sousa stressed that “these facts probably represent very serious crimes” and recalled that the party condemns such situations, “which were visible to everyone.”
Elvio Sousa also accused the Madeiran parliament of being “used to whitewash oversight” of the Madeiran government.
“This parliament is not free, it is bent, it has caved in to the executive power,” he emphasized. For his part, BE MP Roberto Almada said they are still “all stunned because what happened is not good for Madeira or for any of us.”
The remaining parties did not speak at the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira on this issue in the period before the agenda.
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.