Former President of the Assembly of the Republic Eduardo Ferro Rodríguez defends the intervention of the President of the Republic in the crisis of justice, criticizing, like Augusto Santos Silva, the actions of the Ministry of State in judicial cases that have caused political crises.
The source of criticism is the release of the accused, who were detained for 21 days as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in Madeira, after the investigating judge concluded that the elements of the charge did not justify imprisonment.
Speaking to the newspaper Público, Ferro Rodríguez said that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa must act “quickly” and give a “signal” that the current justice situation “cannot continue” and that intervention is “necessary.”
The former socialist leader stated that the President of the Republic is “the only sovereign body that currently has all the powers”, justifying this by saying that “the government does not have all the powers, nor does the Assembly of the Republic”, suggesting that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is meeting with members of the State Council.
Ferro Rodrigues believes that a meeting of members of the State Council should take place before the start of the election campaign on February 25, “to force the parties to make proposals and commitments.”
The former Socialist leader considers it “unacceptable” for “all politicians and all parties to pretend that something very serious is not happening in the justice system.”
On Wednesday, the President of the Assembly of the Republic, Augusto Santos Silva, said he was “perplexed” by the 21-day detention of the president of the Funchal Chamber in Madeira, who has since resigned, and two other defendants. , when, nevertheless, the investigating judge came to the conclusion that the elements of the charge did not justify deprivation of liberty.
In an interview with Rádio Renascença, Augusto Santos Silva stressed that a very deep reflection is needed – in the next legislature – on the conditions, in his opinion, too easy, under which citizens are deprived of their freedom in Portugal.
In statements published this Friday in the newspaper Público, Ferro Rodríguez criticized the “total irresponsibility and mediocrity” of the Ministry of State (MP).
Ferro Rodríguez said he was “outraged” that the rule of law was “less and less respected” and called on the Attorney General of the Republic, Lucília Gago, to “have the dignity to bear the burden” of the consequences of the concluded legal cases. policies causing crises in the government and the autonomous region of Madeira.
According to the former President of the Assembly of the Republic, it is necessary to put an end to the “political correctness” of the statement that “justice is what belongs to justice, and politics is what belongs to politics.”
In addition to Augusto Santos Silva, socialist leader Ana Catarina Mendes also criticized on Thursday the “pompous arrests” in court that later led to a lack of evidence of crimes, and protested against the trials and “humiliation in the public square”, showing that it was outraged by the frivolity these cases.
On January 24, the Judicial Police (SP) carried out some 130 searches at home and outside, mainly in Madeira, but also in the Azores and various parts of the continent, as part of the process of investigating suspicions of active and passive actions. corruption, participation in business economic activities, malfeasance, receiving or offering undue advantage, abuse of power and undue influence.
Following this operation, the SP detained the then mayor of Funchal Pedro Calado (NSD), who also resigned from his post, the leader of the AFA construction group Avelino Fariña and the main shareholder of the civil engineering group Socicorreia. , Custodio Correia.
The three defendants were released on Wednesday with proof of identity and residence, three weeks after their arrest, following a ruling by a criminal judge who found there was no evidence that “any crime had been committed.”