The election campaign moved yesterday to the doors of the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon, at the Parque das Nações Justice Campus. Three former prime ministers were summoned to trial in the ‘EDP case’, in which former Economy Minister Manuel Pinho is accused of corruption, money laundering and tax fraud, and former BES president Ricardo Salgado of corruption and money laundering money. ministers: Durão Barroso (2002-2004), José Sócrates (2005-2011) and Pedro Passos Coelho (2011-2015).
“I hope the country knows how to identify serious responsibilities in the current government, which is leaving office, in the situation that the country has reached. Serious enough that the Prime Minister, as far as I can remember, was the only one who felt the need to dismiss for indecency and bad appearance.”
There were several journalists at the door. Unexpectedly, Passos Coelho brought the campaign into the conversation by commenting on current political events. The former PSD leader and former head of government decided to call for political change in the next parliamentary elections. And he did this with very violent words to António Costa: ‘I hope that in the current government that is leaving office, the country will be able to identify serious responsibilities in the situation that the country has reached. Serious enough for the Prime Minister to have been the only one I remember feeling the need to resign for indecency and bad appearance.”
“Everyone has their own time and this time is not mine. And that is why we must leave room for those who belong to the time to do what is necessary.”
At the same time, he assured that he will stay away from active politics: ‘Everyone has their own time and this time is not mine. And that is why we must leave space for those who belong to the times to do what is important. necessary.”
However, he did not fail to put some pressure on Luís Montenegro: “I obviously hope that the PSD can be the leading party in this new phase that is about to open, not because it is my party – I think everyone would understand that I wish my party could win the elections – and I trust that it will indeed happen.” In other words: ‘What I can formulate is a very sincere wish that the PSD can be prepared for the times ahead’, because ‘the country will certainly need a government that not only has a clearly defined direction, but can also inspire confidence . in people to reverse an extraordinary degradation of a very significant part of government policies, which are important for the growth of our economy.” “Many public policies have deteriorated extremely in recent years, from health care to education, issues related to housing” and “even security”, because “there are very relevant aspects that concern the security of Portuguese society and the Portuguese who are the cause are,” said Passos Coelho.
José Sócrates was then asked to comment on the words of his successor as head of government. He refused to call it an “analysis” and instead treated it as a “veiled political attack.”
At the same time, however, he refused to throw his hands in the fire for António Costa (and Costa also always refused to throw his hands in the fire for Sócrates: “We are about to see who has performed badly, whether it is the prime minister, whether it was the Public Prosecution Service or the opposition, but we will know in a few months.”
The one who did not get involved in campaigns was Durão Barroso. He spoke exclusively about the subject of the trial: an alleged criminal pact concluded in March 2005 between Manuel Pinho (and his wife) and Ricardo Salgado, so that the former, as Minister of Economy (in the first government of Sócrates, between 2005 and 2009) would represent the interests of the Espírito Santo Group, especially with regard to EDP.
Asked about the alleged criminal pact between Pinho and Salgado, allegedly in March 2005, the former Prime Minister recalled that it was never on the horizon to be in the perspective of a PS government at that time, because in the summer of 2004 When he resigned to become a member of the European Commission, he agreed with the President of the Republic that he would only do so on the condition that the government would continue to be led by the PSD (Pedro Santana Lopes), with the coalition would be maintained with the CDS-PP. . “There was no chance at that time. My horizon was to fulfill the mandate. It is completely forced… In fact, my departure to the European Commission did not mean a change of government to the PS,” he said. On the left there was no PS government, but a government of my party and the other party that was in coalition [CDS]. It was a condition sine qua non“I don’t think there is any political genius who can foresee what person A, B or C will do in the next government,” he emphasized. Durão also admitted that he had also worked as a consultant for a GES company. an “international consultancy” but assured that the former GES president never sought to obtain favors. “Dr. Ricardo Salgado has never used his position to gain any favor,” he emphasized.
For his part, Passos Coelho insisted that there was never any favoritism or preferential treatment for former Grupo Espírito Santo (GES) president Ricardo Salgado, neither when he headed the government nor when he was an administrator at Fomentinvest.
“Ricardo Salgado has never used his relationship with me to obtain advantages,” he emphasized. Passos Coelho also recalled his experience as financial administrator of Fomentinvest between 2004 and 2010, reiterating that no favors were given to BES because the bank then headed by Ricardo Salgado was also a shareholder in that company. “Certainly not. I am not aware of any lawsuit that had any relationship, neither with the bank nor with the Minister of Economic Affairs. As far as I know, [a Fomentinvest não foi] neither privileged nor disadvantaged,” he stressed, clarifying that he resigned from all positions at Fomentinvest in 2010.
Passos Coelho, former head of government (2011-2015), was also asked about the PIN projects [Potencial Interesse Nacional], which also became a bet on the government of José Sócrates, who had Manuel Pinho as Minister of Economy and who remained in the executive, to ensure that they did not serve to circumvent the law. “The PIN projects were projects that should have undergone specific monitoring and study from the beginning so that they could have an impact on the economy,” he noted, continuing: “It was certainly a clear intention, as far as the government was concerned, to find a committed, attentive and as quickly as possible way to create the conditions so that they could be approved under the terms of the law, so that they could be viable and have the desired economic impact.
José Sócrates later told journalists that he had left “no stone unturned” in court regarding “the lie that the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) had arranged” about the relationship between the government he led and former BES president Ricardo Salgado . “I’m very happy with myself,” he said of his performance in court.
The former Socialist Prime Minister argued that the idea that “Salgado was a friend of the Socialists does not have the slightest support.” ‘It’s not true, this is a lie […]is a historical revisionism that the MP wanted to develop against me over the past twelve years.”
Source: DN
