The President of the Republic today defended the fact that Parliament should exercise its legal powers in relation to all citizens, and asked about the possible situation of his son refusing to testify at the commission of inquiry.
“Parliament exercises its powers either in plenary session, or in a committee or in a parliamentary commission of inquiry, they are provided for by law, it must exercise them in relation to all citizens, this is part of the logic of democracy,” said Marcelo Rebelo. de Sousa, responding to reporters, at the Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon.
The head of state was asked about the possibility of parliament asking for the intervention of the prosecutor’s office, confirming the situation with the refusal of his son Nuno Rebelo de Sousa to testify before the commission of inquiry into the Portuguese case. Brazilians with spinal muscular atrophy treated at the Santa Maria Hospital.
In his response to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, he began by saying that every day he learned “new things through the media” about this case: to the President of the Republic.”
Subsequently, the President of the Republic declared that Parliament must exercise its legal powers in relation to all citizens.
“All citizens are citizens, and therefore the following happens: when Parliament, or the President of the Republic, or the Government, or the courts exercise their constitutional and legal functions in relation to any citizen, within the meaning of the Constitution, says and the Law naturally says that they relate treat citizens equally,” he added.
In addition to these statements, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa believed that “it is part of the logic that the President of the Republic does not comment, does not evaluate and should not pronounce on what is naturally either a constitutional role or a legal role of the Assembly of the Republic.”
On Wednesday, the head of state said he was unaware and had nothing to say about news that his son was a defendant in legal proceedings involving Portuguese-Brazilian twins being treated at Santa Maria Hospital.
The head of state also said at the time that everything he knew about this process was obtained through the media, which he thanked for “reporting in recent days and months” on this topic.
Asked whether he intended to testify before the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the matter or make a written statement, he replied: “I also have nothing to add at the moment. I have not received any request, either general or specific, and therefore I will consider it only if there is material for reflection.”
On December 4 last year, following TVI’s reporting on the case, the President of the Republic confirmed that his son Nuno Rebelo de Sousa contacted him by email in 2019 regarding the situation of two Portuguese-Brazilian twins with spinal muscle atrophy, which were later treated in Santa Maria Hospital one of the most expensive drugs in the world.
On this occasion, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa reported on the correspondence exchanged in the Presidency of the Republic in response to a letter from his son sent to the Attorney General’s Office and stated that he gave this case “the most neutral order”, like many others, by referring this case This is a file for the government.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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