The Transparency and Statute of Deputies Committee this Wednesday refused to lift the parliamentary immunity of Left Bloc deputy and coordinator Catarina Martins for a hearing and filed an argument under a complaint filed by Chega.
This point of the meeting took place behind closed doors, but the chairman of the committee told Lusa that Socialist deputy Isabel Moreira’s advice for not lifting Catarina Martins’ parliamentary immunity was approved with votes for PS, PSD, BE and PCP and the vote against Chega, with the Liberal Initiative not taking part in the vote.
This advice will still be voted on by the plenary meeting.
It is a complaint filed by members of Chega’s parliamentary group, who accuse the BE leader of defamation over statements made on the night of the last parliamentary election, a year ago.
At the time, referring to Chega, Catarina Martins said that “any racist deputy elected to the Portuguese parliament is another racist deputy”.
The conclusions of the opinion, to which the Lusa office had access, states that these statements “were made in the context of a confrontation between political parties, so the waiver of parliamentary immunity would have the potential to prevent the free exercise of parliamentary powers to limit.” mandate of Ms Deputy Catarina Martins”.
The document also states that this case falls within the cases where the waiver of immunity is not mandatory and that the BE Coordinator has ruled in favor of non waiver.
Source: DN
