Duarte Cordeiro says he’s unaware of timeline investigation as adviser

Environment Minister Duarte Cordeiro said on Tuesday that he was not aware of “any investigation” related to his duties as an adviser to the Lisbon Chamber, nevertheless showing that he was ready to cooperate with justice.

“I am not aware of any investigation being carried out and I have never been called to testify,” Duarte Cordeiro said in a memo released by his office.

Clarification from Minister for Environment and Climate Action came after release on Tuesday morning Post Mention that also the former vice-president of the municipality has been the target of new complaints about the hiring process of former socialist mayor and businessman Joaquim Morao.

“The denunciation, which is in the prosecutor’s office and was attached to the process, during which the lease of Morao in Lisbon is being investigated, reveals the proximity of António Costa [ex-presidente do município] and Duarte Cordeiro and ensures that Morão, who raised money for the party through public works, reports only to this official.

Duarte Cordeiro, who has been President of the Federation of Urban Areas PS since 2018, mentions in his statement that he does not remember “he had any conversations with Joaquim Morão” in such a state and emphasizes that the job of a businessman in the municipality is – advice on retraining in the city – “it had nothing to do” with his guardianship.

“Of course, I could be with him as long as he performed the duties for which he was hired,” he says.

The minister says he hopes “the prosecutor’s office will address these complaints quickly and clearly” and says he is “available for any questions or doubts about any action that has taken place” in his powers in the municipality.

Duarte Cordeiro also mentions that one cannot “tolerate an environment in which complaints made in a professional manner are credible”.

The Socialist was elected as an adviser in the capital in 2013 in the executive branch headed by the current Prime Minister António Costa.

In 2015, when Costa left municipal government and Fernando Medina (current Minister of Finance) became president of the municipal executive, Duarte Cordeiro became vice president.

Urban hygiene, nearby structures, economy, innovation, urban services and sports were portfolios also taken over by the former president of the PS Lisbon Council, who left the town hall in 2019 to join the António Costa government.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, three companies and their legal representatives have become defendants in a case that led to a raid last week on Lisbon’s city council.

Last week, the Judicial Police raided the Lisbon Chamber for “suspicions of corruption, economic involvement in business and forgery” in an appointment for “service provision that was signed in 2015” by the then mayor of the municipality, Fernando. Medina.

Speaking to reporters, Fernando Medina said he asked to be heard in the context of the process that led to the searches at the Lisbon Chamber, stressing, however, that he was “absolutely” unaware of the ongoing investigation.

In a note sent to Luce, the “historic” socialist and former mayor of Castelo Branco, Joaquim Morao, stated that he did not commit any illegal acts in the course of providing advisory services to the Lisbon Chamber, expressing his full readiness to cooperate with the investigation.