Chega filed a request on Sunday for the Prime Minister’s Under-Secretary of State to be heard in TAP’s parliamentary committee of inquiry into the intelligence services’ involvement in the recovery of the computer of João Galamba’s former assistant.
In a statement, the party led by André Ventura says that after Thursday’s hearing of Infrastructure Minister João Galamba at the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into the political custody of TAP management, “it became clear that it was offensive and inappropriate towards the SIS came from the core close to the prime minister, if not himself”.
“According to the Minister of Infrastructure, it was Secretary of State Mendonça Mendes who considered the intervention of the ‘secrets’ pertinent, contrary to the applicable legal rules,” the text reads.
For Chega “what is at stake is the discovery of the material truth and the actual suitability of the rulers in question” and for these reasons the party has today filed a request to hear António Mendonça Mendes.
On Saturday, the prime minister’s assistant secretary of state declined to clarify his role in calling information services to recover the former assistant to the infrastructure minister’s computer.
On the sidelines of the PAN Congress, which took place in Matosinhos, in the Porto district, António Mendonça Mendes did not respond to journalists about his alleged involvement in the recovery of Frederico Pinheiro’s computer, after João Galamba, in the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry at the management of TAP that it was this official who instructed him to contact the information services.
“I would like to remind you that the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) into TAP is taking place, everything that the government had to say and is relevant in that matter has already said,” he replied to questions from journalists.
According to António Mendonça Mendes “what is important is that everyone does what he has to do, the CPI to TAP’s management will examine the facts related to TAP’s management”.
The infrastructure minister said at his hearing before the parliamentary committee of inquiry on Thursday that the person who told him on April 26 to contact the information services was the prime minister’s deputy secretary of state, António Mendonça Mendes.
Galamba also said that as early as 1 a.m. on the morning of April 27, he had reported the events at the ministry to the Prime Minister, António Costa, telling him “that the SIS had been called,” a call that came hours after an initial attempt at contact with the general manager not answering.
The minister confirmed the version handed over the day before by his chief of staff – this would have been Eugénia Correia who reported to the SIRP (Information System of the Portuguese Republic) and was later contacted by the SIS – but guaranteed that he would not receive any instructions to to call it ‘secret’.
“My conversation with António Mendonça Mendes ends after Eugénia Correia’s conversation with the SIRP,” he said.
The case is related to the dismissal of Frederico Pinheiro and concerns complaints against the former assistant for physical assault at the Ministry of Infrastructure and the alleged theft of a laptop computer, a matter under investigation by the Public Prosecution Service.
Source: DN
