The Minister of Economy, António Costa Silva, said on Monday that he has an “absolutely clear conscience” and that he has “never” had any contact with the lawyer Diogo Lacerda Machado, one of the defendants in the “Influencer” operation, since he was in government.
He also stated that he had not been contacted by the Public Prosecution Service (MP), in the context of the investigation into the lithium, hydrogen and Sines data center, in which eight people and the company Start Campus were accused. “Zero. I have seventy years to live, I have had a career all my life and that’s why it speaks for itself. That’s all I have to say,” he reinforced.
“I have been in government for 20 months and have never had any contact with Dr. Lacerda Machado,” the government official told journalists on the sidelines of the start of the Web Summit, the technology summit taking place this week in Lisbon.
Although his name was mentioned in the wiretaps, Costa Silva said he is not considering leaving the government. “My name was apparently mentioned in a conversation with Dr. Diogo Lacerda Machado, who said he would contact me. He never contacted me. It’s a lot of nothing,” he reflected.
Regarding the change of his name with that of Prime Minister António Costa during the wiretap, Costa Silva said it was “a factual error”, noting that “we are all imperfect”.
“I have not experienced any pressure. I have an absolutely clear conscience in everything I have done in government,” he emphasized.
Regarding the autonomous Supreme Court investigation into António Costa, which led to the Prime Minister’s resignation, the person in charge of the Economy Department stated that “we live in a state governed by the rule of law” and that “no one is above the law.” . “We cannot agree with corruption,” he emphasized.
Costa Silva then defended the head of government who was still in office. “It makes me very sad that the Prime Minister’s name is involved in all this. He is a person of absolute integrity. He has served this country for more than 30 years in public service. He was never involved in the slightest. in anything,” he assured.
The minister also said he respected the legal system, the independence of the courts and the autonomy of the courts. “What I hope is that the investigation will proceed quickly and lead to a resolution,” he added.
“We have a stable democracy and therefore these situations are not favorable. We have no sign that foreign investment will suffer. I am mainly concerned about the future of the country and the performance of the economy,” he said.
Recall that the Prime Minister resigned on Tuesday after learning that his name had been mentioned by those involved in the Public Prosecution Service’s investigation into the lithium, hydrogen and Sines data center activities, which led to the President of the Republic the Assembly of the Republic was dissolved. and calling parliamentary elections on March 10.
Source: DN
