Among those detained are the head of Antonio Costa’s administration, Vitor Escaria, Antonio Costa’s “best friend” Diogo Lacerda Machado and the mayor of Sines, Nuno Mascarenhas, as well as two company executives.
We will talk about the investigation process of the hydrogen and lithium exploration business in Montalegre.
The parties react to the situation.
by minute
Updated November 7, 2023 | 13:14
“Prime Minister, resign”: Andre Ventura reacts to searches in Sao Bento
Andre Ventura, the leader of Chega, reacts to the searches in São Bento and says: “Mr. Prime Minister, resign.”
The party leader says António Costa decided to keep João Galamba in office and that it “was expendable.” He adds that this is the first time in the history of Portuguese democracy that the head of a democracy has been detained, and that this time “the name of the prime minister is involved.”
Andre Ventura also appeals to the Prime Minister, who is the image of Portugal in the eyes of the citizens at stake, and asks “to resign himself, as this is necessary so that the country does not continue to remain in this situation.”
“We have the right to the presumption of innocence, but we have to give an explanation, which the prime minister has never done,” he adds.
He also says that “in a democratic country, an investigation would never be opened unless there were specific suspicions.”
“João Galamba should not have been in power for a long time,” says PAN leader.
Ines de Sousa Real, PAN leader, said the party defends the “presumption of innocence of the people” but that “João Galamba should not have been in power for a long time.”
“The Prime Minister should no longer have allowed this to happen when TAP was botched,” he says.
“The Prime Minister must talk to the country as soon as possible,” says Livre
Free Party leader Rui Tavares says the prime minister must talk to the country “as soon as possible” as it is a matter of “huge importance”.
He states that “it is not our place to talk about signs of suspicion and to prejudge decisions that serve to further discredit the situation,” but it is important to draw conclusions so that they can “formulate their own political judgments,” he adds.
“We must serve a vigilant society,” says Rui Tavares.
“Let justice prevail and take its course,” says Bloch de Esquerda.
BE called for swift justice “regardless of who it harms” following searches carried out today at several ministries and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff.
“Let justice prevail and take its course,” the Bloc de Esquerda said in a statement about the searches of government members.
The left bloc requires that responsibilities be defined: “find out what needs to be investigated, investigate what needs to be investigated, and specify any responsibilities that need to be specified. Justice must be swift, swift, fair, giving justice to those whom it harms, without sparing those who have responsibilities to answer for them.”
He also states that investigations are ongoing, which are secret and “we do not know their content.”
He adds that “there is no one who has that kind of power over justice, so let’s hope that justice happens quickly and we can come to appropriate conclusions in the case.”
The Prime Minister “has no conditions to continue fulfilling his duties,” defends the Liberal Initiative
The prime minister “does not have the conditions to continue fulfilling his duties,” the Liberal Initiative claims.
Party leader Rui Rocha says democratic institutions must function well and cannot have such a narrow circle of people around them.
He also states that he does not know what Prime Minister António Costa’s ethical standards are, but that the situation is “unacceptable, we cannot have a country based on corruption.” Antonio Costa must “put his hands on his conscience” because the country is “sinking into rot,” he adds.
“At least three people from the prime minister’s inner circle have been detained as part of an investigation into alleged corruption,” he emphasizes. “We cannot allow the prime minister to be in power if his inner circle is detained or charged,” he said.
If the prime minister does not resign, Rui Rocha asked the president of the republic to “put house in order” and dissolve parliament, arguing that “democratic and political institutions must work.”
PCP wants lithium investigation ‘results’ completed
The PKP wants the lithium investigation to be “concluded”, leading to searches of several ministries and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, and then “due consequences for the conclusions reached”.
“With regard to the news of searches involving the government in connection with the lithium and hydrogen business, PCP believes that the investigations must be completed and due consequences of the findings must be addressed,” PCP said in a statement.
The prime minister’s press office confirmed on Tuesday that the PSP had raided the office of Vitor Escaria, the prime minister’s chief of staff, adding that there was no comment from São Bento on the court’s decision.
Paula Santos, leader of the PKP, says there is an urgent need to “investigate properly and deal with the consequences properly.”
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.