The chairman of the commission investigating the twins’ case said this Friday that invitations to the Presidents of the Republic, António Costa and Augusto Santos Silva, to testify will be sent between this Friday and next week.
“As for Dr. Santos Silva and Dr. António Costa, as well as the President of the Republic, the information I received from the President of the Assembly of the Republic is that these are, let’s call them, invitations to come to the commission, if whatever they want to do, they will be sent either today or early next week,” he said.
Rui Paulo Sousa spoke to journalists after the meeting of the commission and coordinators of the commission investigating the case of the Portuguese-Brazilian twins who were treated with Zolgensma at the Santa Maria hospital.
According to the Legal Regime of Parliamentary Investigations, “the President of the Republic, as well as former Presidents of the Republic, by virtue of facts of which they have become aware in the exercise of their functions and in connection with them, have the right, if they wish, to testify before a parliamentary inquiry committee, and in this case, if they prefer, it is their prerogative to do so in writing.”
“The President of the Assembly of the Republic, the former Presidents of the Assembly of the Republic, the Prime Minister and former Prime Ministers also enjoy the prerogative to give evidence in writing, if they prefer, which they send to the committee, within 10 days from the date of the communication of the facts on which the statement is to be made, a sworn statement stating everything they know about the said facts,” the legislation adds.
The chairman of the investigative commission also reported that after the holidays, from September 10, hearings of people associated with the president of the republic, and subsequently of former members of the government, will be completed.
Following the completion of these policy hearings, there will be hearings with doctors and hospital leaders.
Rui Paulo Sousa noted that “there will be a specific calendar soon.”
Deputy Chega criticized the President of the Assembly of the Republic for asking the opinion of the Attorney General’s Office after his party requested access to the communications of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Rui Paulo Sousa noted that Aguiar-Branco “did not speak to the commission before making this request, he did so on his own initiative.”
This topic, he noted, provoked “lively discussion” at the meeting of the board and coordinators.
Regarding the requests of the PSD and PS to suspend the requests for communication until the conclusion is sent to Parliament, the chairman of the inquiry committee said that they will be voted on this Friday, in a committee meeting, before the hearing of the former Secretary of State for the Portuguese Communities, Berta Nunes.
According to Rui Paulo Sousa, this suspension “has no practical effect, because those messages, those who wanted to send them, have already sent them, and those who did not want to send them have given reasons why they did not send them”, including judicial secrecy.
The chairman of the commission investigating the twins said the suspension “calls into question the potential power of the party that initiated the commission” and “sets a precedent for future commissions,” arguing that it therefore limits “the functioning of the commission itself.”
Regarding possible measures to be taken in light of the behaviour of the children’s mother’s lawyer, Wilson Bicalho, at the hearing, Rui Paulo Sousa said that “it was decided not to do anything” since there was no unanimity on all sides.
“After what happened here and the way they were treated, not only the deputies as organs, but also this Assembly and other organs in the country, whether it is the judiciary, the doctors themselves or the media themselves, I am extremely sorry, but it was not possible to achieve unanimity, I think it would be illogical to make a complaint or a declaration of principles about the actions of Wilson Bicalho without unanimity from the deputies of the committee itself,” he said, without specifying who voted against.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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