Rui Rocha, president of the Liberal Initiative (IL), on Saturday believed that the exercise of political power under suspicion “clearly worries the Portuguese” and stated that when it suits the prime minister “it will be time for justice”.
Rui Rocha was responding this morning to statements by the Prime Minister, António Costa, who declined to comment on the resignation of the Secretary of State for National Defense, Marco Capitão Ferreira, calling for “justice to work”.
“Today we are going to focus on what is important for the life of the Portuguese, and without wanting to diminish what is of great concern to commentators and the political space, I think there are very different things that people are concerned about,” said António Costa, in the Monserrate Palace, in Sintra (Lisbon district), where an informal Council of Ministers is being held today.
According to Rui Rocha, speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a visit to the Mercado dos Lavradores in Funchal, Madeira, “The Liberal Initiative understands that any exercise of political power that is under suspicion clearly involves the Portuguese”.
“I know that for António Costa these are business, small business. He’s trying to devalue them, but apparently we have the evidence, at least the suspicion. I don’t know if it’s a little bit of corruption, if it’s corruption, but from something with some seriousness and so this clearly worries the Portuguese. It is an issue that needs to be clarified and it looks bad until the Prime Minister tries to devalue a situation like this,” he defended.
Regarding António Costa’s statement to “make justice work”, the IL leader said that “when it suits him, the times are, when it does not suit him, then it is the time of justice”.
“Is it understandable that a few hours after António Costa asked for the dismissal of Marco Capitão Ferreira, he was appointed as a defendant in this trial?” Rui Rocha asked.
“It seems to me that there was information that reached the Prime Minister faster than many Portuguese. So it’s a question I leave, was the time of justice fulfilled here?” he added.
Asked about the necessary solution to solve the instability in the government, the president of IL pointed out that “some ministers who left or did not leave, but are frankly conditional, have already undergone a refurbishment”, referring to the Minister of Infrastructure, Joao Galamba.
“And that’s why I would say it’s not a matter of reshuffles. Let’s see who this government has in common. Own house,” he considered.
On Friday, the President of the Republic accepted the resignation of the Secretary of State for Defense, Marco Capitão Ferreira, proposed by the Prime Minister.
The resignation proposal was released by the Prime Minister’s office at 09:00, stating that “it was forwarded to him by the Minister of National Defense [Helena Carreiras]at his own request”.
However, the resigned Secretary of State for Defense was named as a defendant under the “Perfect Storm” trial, which led to judicial police searching the Ministry of Defence.
Marco Capitão Ferreira is suspected of crimes of corruption and economic participation in business.
Source: DN
