Socialist deputy Alexandra Leitão, former Minister of Administrative Modernization, questions the permanence of the Prime Minister’s Deputy Secretary of State, Miguel Alves, in government if it is confirmed that he has been identified as a suspect in a trial under a contract he has signed when he was president of the Chamber of Caminha. “It creates unnecessary vulnerability,” he said Sunday evening, during the Principle of Uncertainty program, by CNN Portugal and TSF.
“In earlier times, in previous governments of the same prime minister, there were people who were defendants, for different circumstances, and the rule that was there was: they were formed arguidos, they leave the government,” said Alexandra Leitão about Miguel Alves, who is being investigated by the Public Prosecution Service.
“More: When making the lists of deputies, both in 2019 and in 2022, there were people who were left out of the lists because they were defendants,” he continued to find this case “incomprehensible”. “If there is a criterion related to this, I am honest: it is to create an unnecessary vulnerability that even limits Miguel Alves himself in his rights of defense. I find this whole thing a bit incomprehensible and I am sorry to say it”, supposed
On the agenda is the case of the Deputy Secretary of State, which took place when he was mayor of Caminha, and which has to do with the construction of a cross-border exhibition center in Caminha, a work that has not yet started after the contract commitment between the promoter and the municipality to be signed in 2020.
Público reported in the October 26 edition that the municipality of Caminha had made a “dubious advance” of 300,000 euros for the project in question, authorized by the now deputy secretary of state to the prime minister, when he headed the municipality.
The newspaper reported that the payment was made by the municipality in March 2021 to an unknown company and affiliated with businessman Ricardo Moutinho, an investor with an alleged falsified resume. The weekly Expresso also reported in its October 28 issue that the company in question, Green Endogenous, SA, is part of an investment group “established locally”.
“Unacceptable” silence, complains Alexandra Leitão
Miguel Alves broke his silence on the case, a week after it was made public, in an interview with Jornal de Notícias and TSF. He was convinced of the legality of the process and explained why he had not responded publicly to this controversy before.
“And my first comment was not here, it was with the PGR, through a letter, where I added my availability to provide my clarification at any time on the investigation that was opened about this situation. I can understand my option, a legal , transparent option that defends the public interest in Caminha and also in the country,” explains Miguel Alves.
Alexandra Leitão found the Secretary of State’s silence “unacceptable” and acknowledged that “she was not particularly clear” in the interview with Miguel Alves.
“I think that politicians have more duties, which does not mean that they have fewer rights. And I think that part of those duties has to do with explaining and that is why this silence is unacceptable,” the socialist deputy defended. assuming the interview “disturbed her a bit”.
However, the PSD has said through its president, Luís Montenegro, that it will demand “total clarification” of the “strange” case involving the deputy secretary of state with the prime minister and former mayor of Caminha.
“We, in the PSD, will want total, total clarification about what has been made public and what is in fact strange and that makes it clear to us that citizens need to be reassured with the clarification that is being given,” he said. Luis Montenegro.
with Lusa
Source: DN
