Parliament on Tuesday approved the hearing of Agriculture Minister Maria do Céu Antunes following the controversy surrounding former Agriculture Secretary Carla Alves, who resigned following news of the seizure of several bank accounts.
The hearing was requested by PSD, Chega, IL and PAN and approved by the Agriculture and Fisheries Commission, with the PS (majority party supporting the government) abstaining.
Last Thursday, Carla Alves resigned because she did not have the “political and personal conditions” to take office the day after taking office.
Previously, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, believed that Carla Alves had “a political disability”.
On that day, the newspaper Correio da Manhã reported the seizure of joint bank accounts that the then Secretary of State for Agriculture had with her husband and former mayor of Vinhais, Américo Pereira, information released less than 24 hours after the official took office.
The Public Prosecutor charged him with several crimes and ordered the arrest of assets of the lawyer and former socialist mayor, who left the leadership of the municipality in 2017, in a trial worth more than 4.7 million euros that still has three defendants.
On Friday, the newspaper Público reported that the outgoing secretary of state “informed the minister of custody, before taking office as governor last Wednesday, of the frozen accounts she shares with her husband.”
In response, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food assured that Maria do Céu Antunes was not aware of “any involvement in legal proceedings” by Carla Alves.
The Prime Minister, António Costa, understands that Maria do Céu Antunes is able to carry out the duties of Agriculture Minister and that “the case” of Carla Alves’ resignation is “closed”.
Source: DN
