Lawyer João Tiago Silveira is one of nine defendants in the ‘Influencer’ operation, which led to the resignation of Prime Minister António Costa, the Eco newspaper reported on Thursday.
The former State Secretary of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and former State Secretary of Justice in the Sócrates government confirmed to the newspaper that he is accused in the trial investigating hydrogen and lithium deals that led to the arrest of Vítor Escária . , head of the Prime Minister’s Office, among others, and Diogo Lacerda Machado, António Costa’s best friend.
Partner at law firm Morais Leitão, João Tiago Silveira, is part of the list of nine defendants included in the indictment issued this Wednesday to the defense of the detained defendants, Eco writes.
The lawyer confirmed to Eco/Advocatus that he had been named a defendant “as part of the process that was made public yesterday.” “I will reserve my comments for the right time and place, if and when I am confronted with concrete facts. In view of the noise that has arisen and before undisputed suspicions consolidate in public opinion, I would like to make the following very clear: throughout the entire period In my professional life I have never confused the exercise of public functions and private functions, in particular the profession of lawyer. But there has been a common trait throughout my career, both in the public sector and in the private sector: honesty and strict respect for legality,” stated
João Tiago Silveira is the second partner of Morais Leitão to be named a suspect, after Rui Oliveira Neves, manager of Start Campus, one of the detainees who will be heard by the criminal court this Thursday.
In total, there are nine defendants, as part of the ‘Influencer’ operation, of which five are being held: Vítor Escária, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, Diogo Lacerda Machado, friend of António Costa; Rui Oliveira Neves, manager of Start Campus and partner at Morais Leitão; Afonso Salema, CEO of the same company; and Nuno Mascarenhas, president of the municipal chamber of Sines
The Minister of Infrastructure, João Galamba, the company Start Campus, the president of the Portuguese Environment Agency, Nuno Lacasta, and the lawyer João Silveira are also accused but have not been arrested.
Source: DN
