“A mess”. Thus, this Saturday, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento referred to the latest events involving the Ministry of Infrastructure following the resignation of Deputy Minister João Galamba and the disclosure of the messages exchanged between them. A mess “of tremendous gravity”. That is why the leader of the PSD faction demanded an explanation from António Costa.
The PSD wants after the revelations of the past few days, namely last Friday.
“What we have learned in recent days, namely yesterday, obliges the prime minister to clarify what is happening in his government,” Miranda Sarmento said at a press conference.
“The country demands that the Prime Minister urgently clarify everything that is happening in the administration. In recent weeks, and in particular in recent days, we have witnessed a series of very serious situations and scandals involving ministers and secretaries of state without the prime minister who says something about the current state of government,” said Joaquim Miranda Sarmento.
Miranda Sarmento wants António Costa to say whether the SIS, which depends on the Prime Minister, has indeed recovered Frederico Pinheiro’s computer, Galamba’s deputy. “It is not understandable that the secret services have been called to recover a computer,” he defended, recalling that in these situations of theft, the responsibility lies with the PSP.
AND wondered “what secrets, what information that endangers the government, which computer has that justifies calling the secret services”.
Miranda Sarmento has been shown to be the minister João Galamba “wanted to lie to the parliamentary commission of inquiry, he wanted to withhold information from parliament”.
The parliamentary leader of the Social Democrats admitted he was not thinking of moving ahead with a censure motion against the government, but said he could if warranted. He also said he could ask to hear Frederico Pinheiro before the parliamentary committee of inquiry.
Miranda Sarmento stressed that the PSD is “always ready to rule”.
A war in which even the SIS is involved
The acquitted deputy of Minister João Galamba, Frederico Pinheiro, on Friday accused the Ministry of Infrastructure of wanting to omit information to the TAP Commission of Inquiry about the “preparatory meeting” with the former CEO. Frederico Pinheiro was acquitted on Wednesday, but this statement was not made public until Friday. The acquittal was also known to be fraught with aggression and that even the police and SIS were involved, as the former deputy sheriff insisted on taking the computer, which the ministry said was state property.
However, in a statement, the Minister of Infrastructure “categorically denied” the acquitted deputy’s allegations, noting that “on the contrary” “all documentation requested by the CPI had been fully provided”.
In a statement to the Lusa bureau, Frederico Pinheiro refers that, following the revelations made on April 4 during the hearing of the former Executive President (CEO), Christine Ourmières-Widener, at the Parliamentary Investigation Committee of TAP (CPI), João Galamba had a meeting with you to discuss the subject of the preparatory meeting on January 17, on the eve of a hearing by the manager of the parliamentary economics committee.
At that time, deputy Frederico Pinheiro indicated that he had taken notes of the meeting [de 17 de janeiro], which you have recorded on your computer. They summarized what had been discussed at that meeting, as well as at another meeting held the day before.
According to the statement, he “orally shared his notes, after it became clear that questions had been articulated at that January 17 meeting to be asked by the GPPS [grupo parlamentar do PS] and the TAP CEO’s responses and communication strategy were mentioned”.
According to the acquitted deputy, “it was indicated that, in case of a request from the parliamentary committee of inquiry, the notes would not be shared, as it is an informal document”.
Frederico Pinheiro also disagrees with a statement from the Ministry of Infrastructure on April 6, which shows that the then deputy was present at the aforementioned preparatory meeting.
“However, on April 24, Frederico Pinheiro was informed by the technician Cátia Rosas that the office would respond to the CPI, in the context of a request, that there were no notes from the meeting,” the statement says, adding that “on at that moment, Frederico Pinheiro indicates to the technician that, as he knew, this was incorrect and that, following the communiqué of the Ministry of Infrastructure on April 6, it was likely that Frederico Pinheiro would be called before the CPI and that, at that moment he would be obliged to contradict the information in that answer”, with which he disagreed.
Source: DN
