The president of the Socialist Economic Council, Francisco Assis, justified the absence of the presentation of the book on former governor Carlos Costa so as not to be interpreted as hostility towards the prime minister.
In a message read at the presentation of the book “O Governador” edited by Dom Quixote, Francisco Assis justifies the absence of the book he was to present.
“It was not a pleasant decision, but it forced itself on my conscience. I have a long political relationship with Dr. António Costa and I understood that it was my duty to refrain from participating in an act in which my presence would become unavoidable interpreted as an expression of personal animosity towards him,” the socialist justified.
Francis Assis recalled that Prime Minister António Costa declared last week that he would sue the former governor of the Banco de Portugal for violating his honor, after Mário Centeno’s predecessor reported in the book that he had been pressured by the head of government was set not to do so. Get Isabel dos Santos out of BIC.
“The moment I became aware of such a reaction, I chose not to be present at the award ceremony,” he justifies.
The CES president thanked the “kindness” with which the work’s author Luís Rosa and former governor Carlos Costa welcomed his option: “I want it to be clear that I am not ignoring the work,” he said.
“If I am not here today, it is for a reason: 30 years of a political journey, I consider António Costa to be entitled to expect from me the care not to offend what he himself describes as his personal dignity,” said he.
The book “O Governador” is the result of a series of interviews by the Observador journalist Luís Rosa with Carlos Costa, who ran Banco de Portugal between 2010 and 2020, and has generated controversy.
The online newspaper Observador reported today that, hours after the publication of the first news about the book, António Costa sent a written message on the subject to Carlos Costa, saying it was inconvenient to remove Isabel dos Santos and denying that he said it cannot “mistreat” the daughter of the president of a “friendly country”.
In a statement today, the partner of Angolan Isabel dos Santos Fernando Telles said there was “false” information about him in the book of former Banco de Portugal governor Carlos Costa, who threatened to use all “resources” to try to get the restore truth.
The President of the PSD, Luís Montenegro, has challenged António Costa to clarify whether or not he has contacted the then Governor of Banco de Portugal, Carlos Costa, about the Isabel dos Santos case and, if so, whether it has been then not in the mood to prevent Isabel dos Santos from being dismissed as a director or else from the shareholder component of BIC.
Chega president André Ventura has already announced that he will ask former Banco de Portugal governor Carlos Costa to clarify whether the prime minister was trying to protect Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos, after contacting the PSD to secure set up a commission of inquiry, a challenge that remains unanswered.
Source: DN
