PSD, Chega and Initiative Liberal asked this Friday for clarification from the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense about Operation Perfect Storm, with the Social Democrats and André Ventura admitting the hypothesis of a commission of inquiry.
PSD, Chega and IL spoke to journalists in parliament, in response to a report by Expresso, according to which one of the defendants in the Tempestade Perfeita case involved João Gomes Cravinho in the case of the consultancy contract worth about 50,000 euros signed with the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Marco Capitão Ferreira.
The PSD challenged the Prime Minister to assess the conditions for the Minister of Foreign Affairs to continue in office, without ruling out the possibility of a commission of inquiry into the revelations under the Perfect Storm process .
“The PSD believes that the minister is seriously failing to remain at the head of a sovereign portfolio that is Foreign Affairs. We challenge the Prime Minister to make this assessment, if he has not already done so,” the PSD coordinator said in the parliamentary meeting. Defense Area Group, António Prôa.
Just before, The president of Chega said that his party will propose that ministers João Gomes Cravinho and Helena Carreiras return to parliament to provide clarifications, arguing that if the PS does not make these hearings viable, “Chega will have no choice but to move forward with a commission of inquiry into what is happening at the Ministry of Defense.”
“It would be the last solution, but it will ultimately be the only one that allows for the clarifications the country needs,” he insisted.
Asked about Chega’s proposal, the PSD delegate was of the opinion that “all instruments are useful”, but the party will assess which ones are most suitable.
“We hope and hope that the Prime Minister can still do his duty and provide clarifications, but the PSD will consider all mechanisms so that these clarifications are provided,” said António Prôa.
The parliamentary leader of the Liberal Initiative emphasized that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and former holder of the National Defense portfolio does not have “political conditions to be on the government list”, noting that the party has been pushing this position since the beginning of the parliamentary term has put forward. .
Rodrigo Saraiva criticized the Prime Minister’s silence and called on António Costa to leave a word of “credibility and confidence in the defense structure”.
Regarding a possible commission of inquiry, the Liberal deputy believed that the matter is pending in court and “has not yet been justified.”
The three parties expressed concern about the “consecutive episodes” involving Gomes Cravinho and believed that despite being questioned several times in committee or plenary, he has not yet provided all clarifications.
“He always says he hasn’t seen it, doesn’t know, doesn’t know. For the PSD, a minister who never knows, has never seen, is diminished in his duties,” said the social democrat António Prôa, who accused Gomes Cravinho of “damaging the credibility and government of the country” and contaminating of an area of sovereignty, that of Defense.
André Ventura believed that the minister “lied in committee, lied to parliament”, speaking of “lies after lies in the Ministry of Defense” and accused António Costa of “protecting Cravinho”.
“We understand that government officials must come quickly and provide answers, and clarify what is happening in a transparent manner. We cannot have a minister belittled by these cases,” the IL parliamentary leader defended in turn.
In a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the previous holder of the Defense Portfolio once again rejects the idea of having been involved in the contract signed between the General Directorate of National Defense Assets and Marco Capitão Ferreira.
Source: DN
