The questioning of Start Campus administrator Afonso Salema, detained as part of an investigation into the lithium and hydrogen business, has ended and a lawyer hopes to present charges on Sunday morning.
Leaving the Campus Justice building in Lisbon after completing the interrogation of Afonso Salema, one of five detained as part of the prosecutor’s investigation, lawyer Pedro Duro told reporters that he planned to present the charges on Sunday at 11:00. :00 am: 00.
“Enforcement action will be taken when the judge can, if I had hard days, the judge had very hard days because he listened to everyone, so he will obviously have to digest all of this. If he can do it. Sunday or Monday, I don’t know,” Pedro Duro said.
According to information provided by the lawyer, Afonso Salema will resign from his duties at Start Campus on Friday after being questioned by the court.
When leaving the Central Criminal Court in Lisbon, Afonso Salema’s lawyer justified his resignation “to protect the good name of the company, to protect the workers and the project.”
Pedro Duro also said that regardless of whether Afonso Salema is in preventive detention or not, “there are a number of consequences, including reputational ones, that must be taken care of in order to ensure the future of the company and those who work there.” .
In addition to the two Start campus administrators who are at the center of the investigation, Vitor Escaria, chief of staff of the rehabilitated prime minister, Diogo Lacerda Machado, lawyer, consultant and friend of António Costa, and Nuno Mascarenhas, president of the Chamber of Sinuses.
Nuno Mascarenhas was the first to make a statement on Thursday, followed by Rui Oliveira Neves, Afonso Salema, Vitor Escaria and finally Diogo Lacerda Machado.
The operation by the prosecutor’s office on Tuesday led to the detention of five people for questioning and the detention of four accused, namely Infrastructure Minister João Galamba, the President of the Portuguese Environmental Agency, Nuno Lacasta, lawyer and former PS representative, João Thiago Silveira and the company Start Campus.
White-collar crime, active and passive corruption among political officials and influence peddling may be at stake in the investigation into the lithium, green hydrogen and Sines data centers.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who resigned on Tuesday, was the subject of an independent investigation led by a lawmaker as part of an investigation opened in the Supreme Court after suspects named him as having interfered with the unblocking of procedures in the businesses under investigation. .
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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