The president of the Civic Front, Paulo Morais, states that the actions of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in the case of the two Portuguese-Brazilian twins who received treatment for spinal muscular atrophy at the National Health Service, at a cost of four million euros, represent what Transparency International defines as corruption.
The university professor, who was a presidential candidate in 2016, accuses Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of “destroying any functioning of a normal state” by “putting a wedge in it”. ” for children in Brazil who received treatment for the neurodegenerative disease in 2020.
“It is not up to the President of the Republic to deal with individual cases,” emphasizes Paulo Morais, referring to the fact, assumed by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, that he has forwarded to the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic and to the social affairs advisor an email from his son, Nuno Rebelo de Sousa, in which he realized that the parents of the Portuguese-Brazilian twins complained that they had not received a response from Santa Maria Hospital when they requested treatment with the drug Zolgensma, which is one of the most expensive in the world. Likewise, the Palácio de Belém forwarded documentation on the clinical situation of the two children to the Chiefs of Staff of the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Communities.
Paulo Morais argues in statements to DN that any “request for information about patients, students or individual taxpayers” has the power to “transform the presidency of the republic into an institutionalized basket of wedges.”
‘The president’s affection is over’
For the president of the Civic Front, the case of the Portuguese-Brazilian twins could mark a turning point in Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s second and final term in office. “The president’s affections are over,” he said, expecting that the head of state could be insulted on the street by those who believe he was “looking after the interests of his friends and family.”
“In public opinion there will be a perception of family benefits,” Paulo Morais added, adding that “if the son gets involved, it is because he knows his father.” He points out a “not at all republican attitude” towards the President of the Republic and predicts that he “will not be able to complete his term of office with dignity”
On the other hand, the president of the Civic Front criticizes Marcelo for contributing to a “degradation of politics” at a time when Portuguese confidence in the institutions is “below any level”. “They feed the populism they say they are fighting against,” he argues.
Source: DN
