The minister says that the secretary of state is available to explain the advice

Defense Minister Helena Carreiras said on Saturday that Defense Secretary Marco Capitão Ferreira is available to go to parliament to explain an advisory contract he signed with the ministry.

In Bragança, on the sidelines of the anniversary celebrations of the Portuguese Air Force, the minister responded to questions from journalists on Friday about a news item in the newspaper Expresso, which reports that the Secretary of State has received 60,000 euros from a consultancy contract in five days.

“These are events that preceded me in time”, the minister began, indicating that she had already received information from the state secretary “about the context and processes surrounding this advice issued by him”.

As reported by Expresso, the contract signed by former Director General of National Defense Resources Alberto Coelho four years ago, in March 2019, provided for a 60-day implementation period and the payment of 61 thousand euros.

According to the newspaper, it took “only a week” and Marco Capitão Ferreira, who has been Secretary of State for Defense since March 2022, will have received “full payment” of the initially contracted 61,000 euros.

Defense Minister Helena Carreiras refused to go into detail on the subject, replying only that the journalists already had all the information from the Secretary of State and that he “also provided answers to questions” from deputies and “made himself available to make statements in the Assembly of the Republic, clarifying everything that needs to be clarified”.

“Defence is not hiding it, Defense is committed to ensuring that all these information elements are clarified and we believe that Parliament is in the right place,” said the minister.

The official understands that the Assembly of the Republic is “where it will be possible to describe in detail the variety and complexity of aspects related to the contracts in question”.

She insisted that the events occurred at a time when she was not yet a minister and that she believes the secretary of state will “clear up the matter completely”.