The Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa, resigned this Tuesday after being investigated for possible prevarication, active and passive corruption, and influence peddling in lithium and hydrogen businesses, although he assured that he has not committed any illegal act. .
“In these circumstances, obviously, I presented my resignation to His Excellency the President of the Republic,” said the socialist in a televised intervention, in which he pointed out that the position of prime minister is not compatible with the “suspicion of the practice of any criminal act.”
Costa said that he was “surprised” this Tuesday with the information of a criminal case against him and was “totally available” to collaborate with Justice, but he denied the accusations and stressed that he is leaving “with a very clear conscience.”
“I want to say, and I look into the eyes of the Portuguese, that the practice of any illegal act or even reprehensible act does not weigh on my conscience,” said the politician, who, however, believes that he must resign because “the dignity of prime ministerial functions” is not compatible with any suspicion.
After his resignation, the next steps will be decided by the president, the conservative Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has the power to dissolve the Assembly of the Republic and call elections if he considers it necessary.
The Portuguese president calls the parties and the Council of State after Costa’s resignation
Sousa called the political parties for tomorrow, Wednesday, and the Council of State for Thursday, following the resignation of the Prime Minister, António Costa, who is being investigated for alleged corruption.
For the next day, Thursday, the president has summoned the Council of State, an advisory body of the Presidency that, among other matters, can rule on the decision to dissolve Parliament or not, although never in a binding manner.
Immediately after the meeting with the Council of State, the president “will speak to the country,” the note indicates.
Prosecutor’s investigation
Both António Costa and several members of his cabinet are being investigated by the Portuguese Prosecutor’s Office.
In a statement, it reports that a search of “spaces used by the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff” has been carried out and that several suspects have spoken of Costa’s involvement in the case for “unblocking procedures.”
The investigation, in which more than 40 places have been registered, focuses on the lithium exploitation concessions in the Romano and Barroso mines, in the north of the country, in addition to a power plant project for the production of energy from hydrogen and another for the construction of a data center, both in the city of Sines.
Several suspicious ministers
In addition, the Prosecutor’s Office has issued arrest warrants against the prime minister’s chief of staff, the mayor of Sines and two of his administrators in the company “Start Campus”, as well as against a lawyer, who will be presented before Justice for interrogation. .
The Minister of Infrastructure, João Galamba, and the president of the Board of Directors of the Portuguese Environment Agency were also declared “arguidos” (formal suspects, a figure prior to the accusation).
The records were issued by the Prosecutor’s Office and are being developed through the Public Security Police (PSP) and the Tax and Customs Authority.
Participating in the operation are 17 magistrates from the Portuguese Prosecutor’s Office, three judicial magistrates, two representatives of the Bar Association, around 145 agents from the PSP and nine from the Tax Authority.
Local media reported that the agents also searched the official residence of the Prime Minister, António Costa, who met this Tuesday with the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
By Perviz Mughal
