The Chega party has formally requested the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry commission to investigate the business dealings surrounding rural fires, according to a statement released by the party’s press office.
On Monday, Chega submitted a proposal to parliament for the creation of this commission, aiming to assess fire prevention and combating efforts from 2017 to the present, and to scrutinize the “economic interests allegedly thriving” due to these fires.
The proposal calls for a comprehensive evaluation of “the entire process of managing rural fire prevention and combat,” and oversight of the use of “public funds earmarked for combating rural fires, including contracts for hiring aerial means and purchasing equipment.”
Led by André Ventura, the party seeks to investigate “the various business and economic interests allegedly flourishing with the perpetuation of rural fires, including but not limited to, the trade of burnt wood, real estate speculation, and the equipment industry.”
Furthermore, Chega suggests thoroughly clarifying the details of the police operation Torre de Controlo, which is related to suspected corruption and fraud in public tenders for fire combat services, and probing potential schemes of cartelization or corruption within the wildfire combat sector.
The parliamentary group also wants to assess the “strategic decisions that have led Portugal to become the only Mediterranean country without its own aerial means to combat fires, despite being the European nation with the highest percentage of burned area.”
On Tuesday, Chega leader André Ventura confirmed the advancement of the inquiry commission into wildfires since 2017, despite the PSD and PS parties advocating for an independent technical commission.
“I think we are sending a signal to the country, saying that we are not afraid to establish this inquiry commission. Those who need to be called will be called, whether they were government officials, leaders from the Ministries of Internal Administration, or Civil Protection, anyone with responsibility,” he stated.
