Asked on Thursday whether the finance minister can remain in office, the president of the republic said that from an investigation to its conclusions and consequences “goes a long way”.
“The fact that there is any sort of investigation or proceeding or interrogation about someone is just that, period. There must be a lot of people with public responsibilities at different levels who are the subject of that investigation. That conclusion and that this conclusion is probable to provoke a certain kind of attitude goes a long way,” declared Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
The head of state spoke to journalists in the former royal arena, next to the Palace of Belém, in Lisbon, about the news from TVI/CNN Portugal that the judicial police carried out searches in the Lisbon city council for “suspected corruption, economic participation in the business and counterfeiting” in a “service agreement signed in 2015” by the then president of the municipality, Fernando Medina, the current minister of finance.
When asked if there were not too many cases involving the name of the Minister of Finance, the President of the Republic replied: “I don’t know what too many cases are. Even today there are information bodies making a huge list of so called revolving doors, positions and positions and positions and things, showing that it is really a very old reality in democracies and also in Portuguese democracy, but the attention of public opinion is not the same”.
“That is why it is natural, it is part of the transparency of democracy. If there are doubts, let doubts arise, let them clarify: there is nothing illegal or incorrect or irregular, period, paragraph,” he added.
TVI/CNN Portugal reported on Wednesday night that judicial police carried out searches at the Lisbon City Council on Tuesday for “suspicions of corruption, economic participation in business and counterfeiting” in a “service agreement signed in 2015” by the then president of the municipality, Fernando Medina, the current Minister of Finance.
The Lisbon City Council confirmed to the Lusa office that searches were being carried out at the municipality’s Urban Planning Department, but sent further clarifications to the judicial authorities.
Marcelo insists questionnaire applies to those in office for “good civic sense”
The president of the republic this Thursday insisted that the questionnaire for candidates for governor also be extended to those already in office, for “good civic sense”, stressing that it covers matters not covered by the declaration of income and power fall.
“This is a debate not worth spending a minute on: knowing whether it applies or not. It clearly applies. It clearly applies in the sense that it’s part of good citizenship When the question is asked, why the person knows what he did not know, or because one draws his attention to something he was not aware of or did not know, he gains clarification.” defended the head of state.
For the President of the Republic, “it’s not a filling problem”, but of “trying a memory to know if there’s anything relevant that might be important”, in the interests of themselves, the government and the country.
“It is better for a person to ask himself that question, if there is a reason to do so, than not to ask the question and then suddenly have to ask himself the question because others ask it,” he argued.
When asked whether current members of government should also complete the 36-question survey on Wednesday, António Costa replied that it was not necessary.
According to the prime minister, the current members of the government have “already fulfilled these obligations” through the declarations of income and assets and “if there is a problem, the Constitutional Court, the Public Prosecutor’s Office or the Assembly of the Republic will take the appropriate measures “.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa countered that “there are matters covered by the questionnaire that are not covered by the declaration of income and assets”.
“The declaration of income and wealth is one thing, the questionnaire is about other realities: criminal cases, payment of taxes, payment to social security, companies with relatives,” he stressed.
In his opinion “the Prime Minister meant: I enclose at this time the declaration of income and assets submitted by the members of the government with what I know about them, I have no doubt that, if it were necessary to reply to the questionnaire, they would have no problem answering”.
“Because what matters, I don’t know if people understand it, isn’t the legal issue: a questionnaire is starting to come out, a questionnaire hasn’t started. The questionnaire is just a memory exercise for people to remember what’s important in domains that are very sensitive to the enlightenment of the Portuguese, in the past, present and future,” the head of state insisted.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stated that in his case “he would be the first to clarify” if, as President of the Republic, “suddenly in the exercise of his functions he becomes aware of a reality or the media puts forward a reality which fall under the quiz”.
“Because what the questionnaire wants to address are important questions about sensitive issues for the knowledge of economic, financial, criminal behavior, relationships with tax authorities, relationships with the rule of those who exercise public power,” he added.
The President of the Republic considered that this is “one of those legal discussions that the Portuguese like to have, but which is a way of getting past the essence of things”, which is the duty to “bring more clarity in certain types of domains that are important in the life of a person who has already exercised, exercised or will exercise public functions”.
“The clarification of this is important in any case, anytime, today, tomorrow and always. The questionnaire is just a pretext for people to have a written text there to remember what they might not otherwise remember,” he defended.
Source: DN
