Mariana Vieira Silva says Antonio Costa must be able to stand up for himself

PS MP Mariana Vieira da Silva said this Thursday that former Prime Minister António Costa should be able to defend himself in Operation Influential, eliminating any attack on the separation of powers or the investigation carried out by the State Ministry.

“António Costa asked to be heard, and there is nothing that justifies the fact that several months after this happened, after the searches, after the elections, António Costa still cannot be heard and know what is against him in the process, to be able to stand up for yourself,” defended Mariana Vieira da Silva in front of Antena Um.

For the former presidential minister, the Court of Appeal’s decision, announced on Wednesday, “is yet another moment in an already long process in which the prosecutor’s office is taking actions with consequences that are known to the entire Portuguese people, but without any consequences.” With any powers, former Prime Minister António Costa can know what he is accused of and can defend himself.”

“So what is at stake is not an attack on the separation of powers, not the idea that prosecutors should not be able to investigate anyone for anything, but rather the idea that as time goes on and if nothing happens, the opposite “If There are decisions of judges in this case, we continue to know exactly what this paragraph is based on and what charges are brought against António Costa so that he can defend himself,” he said.

On Wednesday, deputy and former PS minister Ana Catarina Mendes also spoke about the case, believing that the Ministry of State (MP) “must give an explanation to the Portuguese,” arguing that António Costa, “knowing that he was innocent,” resigned in order to remove suspicions. would not fall on institutions.

“The prosecutor’s office must give an explanation to the Portuguese. Why did she overthrow the government and parliament, how do they raise suspicions and jeopardize the good name of the people? This is very serious for democracy, I already stated this here several months ago.” , he criticized.

According to Ana Catarina Mendes, “António Costa, knowing that he was innocent, took the post of statesman and resigned so that suspicion would not fall on the institutions.”

“Today, an explanation is required from the deputy about what happened! Citizens must trust institutions. Explanations are required! Responsibility(s) is required!!” he said.

TRL rejected the MP’s appeal and decided to relax the enforcement measures, leaving the accused only with the term of the TIR.

“The court decided to reject the prosecutor’s appeal as unfounded, and the appeals filed by the defendants were well-founded. These cases involved coercive measures taken against five individual defendants and one corporate defendant, with prosecutors intending to make their situation worse. and the accused applicants for its reversal,” reads the TRL decision, to which Lusa had access.

The work of the previous legislature was interrupted after the resignation of António Costa, as it was revealed that he was the subject of an investigation opened in parliament by the Supreme Court after receiving a certificate during Operation Influential Man.

Operation Influential Man at the time led to the arrest of Vitor Escaria (Chief of Staff to António Costa), Diogo Lacerda Machado (consultant and friend of António Costa), Start Campus administrators Afonso Salema and Rui Oliveira Neves, as well as Chamber of Sines President Nuno Mascarenhas, who were released after judicial questioning.

There are other defendants, including former infrastructure minister João Galamba, former Portuguese Environment Agency president Nuno Lacasta, former PS representative João Thiago Silveira and Start Campus.

The case relates to the production of energy from hydrogen in Sines, Setubal, and the project to build a data center (Data Center) in the industrial and logistics region of Sines by Start Campus.