Parliament lifted the immunity of three SDP deputies under suspicion in the “Tutti-Frutti” case

This Tuesday, the Transparency Commission will approve the ministry’s request to lift parliamentary immunity from Social Democratic deputies Luis Newton, Carlos Eduardo Reis and Margarida Saavedra, three under suspicion in the context of the “Tutti-Frutti” trial.

According to parliamentary sources, a motion to lift parliamentary immunity, authored by Socialist MP Isabel Moreira, is expected to be unanimously approved this afternoon.

According to the report to which the Luza agency had access, it was concluded that it was “necessary to allow” deputies Carlos Eduardo Reis, Margarida Saavedra and Louis Newton to be heard as respondents in the Tutti-Frutti trial.

On May 7, the first petition to waive the immunity of three SDP deputies was returned to the court, since, according to the Commission on Transparency and Status of Deputies, the information necessary for its assessment was missing.

It was about the absence of elements of the facts that are the subject of investigation within the framework of this investigation by the prosecutor’s office, as well as the time when they occurred, as well as the types of crimes, the criminal structures associated with them and an indication of the possible existence of convincing evidence of an intentional crime.

The issue was raised by the defense of MP Louis Newton, who about a year ago asked to be made a defendant in the case, in a request addressed to the Central Criminal Court (TCIC), which argues that the decision Transparency and the Statute of Deputies, as well as the implementation of the right of an MP to a preliminary hearing the hearing presupposes access to this information and requires its transmission to the Assembly of the Republic.

In contrast to what happened last May, it is now clear that the Court has already sent to the Assembly of the Republic “the minimum elements defining the fact in question and its temporality, qualification and the relevant applicable criminal framework, citing also in all cases there is compelling evidence that that deputies Carlos Eduardo Reis, Margarida Saavedra and Louis Newton committed intentional crimes that are best identified in the promotion of public service.”

The report also states that “there appears to be no basis for the existence of a constitutionally established law on parliamentary immunity”, concluding that “the Assembly of the Republic (…) authorizes deputies Carlos Eduardo Reis, Margarida Saavedra and Luis Newton, all from the PSD parliamentary group , will testify “as defendants.”

The request to waive the immunity of deputies Luis Newton, Carlos Eduardo Reis and Margarida Saavedra was filed by the Justice Department last April in order to name the accused and collect evidence in the Tutti Frutti case.

However, the TCIC order provided only information about the types of crimes and the relevant criminal structures.

According to the order, the DOJ believes that Carlos Eduardo Reis faces serious charges of active corruption, malfeasance and influence peddling, Louis Newton has substantial evidence of passive corruption and malfeasance, and Margarida Saavedra faces serious charges of qualified fraud, according to the order.

Luis Newton, Margarida Saavedra and Carlos Eduardo Reis took office as PSD deputies on March 26, following the last legislative elections on March 10.

Operation Tutti Frutti has been investigating alleged favoritism towards PS and PSD activists through agreements and government contracts since 2018, including suspicions of passive corruption, influence peddling, economic involvement in business and prohibited financing.