The suspect in a forest fire case in Montemor-o-Novo, Évora district, who was arrested on Thursday, appeared today for a judicial interrogation at Évora’s Judicial Court.
The suspect has been released but is subject to various coercive measures, including daily appearances at the security force in his residential area and a ban from carrying fire-inducing objects in forest areas, according to the Évora Territorial Command of the GNR.
The court’s decision also prohibits the man from contacting anyone involved in the process through any means and he is barred from acquiring combustible material, it was reported.
The suspect, Marco Silva, is the representative of Chega’s candidacy for the Vendas Novas municipality, led by Jorge Alcobia Pereira, in the upcoming local elections. This was confirmed on Thursday following reports in that direction.
“Officially, he is still the representative, because legally it’s not easy to replace him,” said the candidate.
However, Marco Silva “is no longer performing the role” of representative because “he wanted to step down some time ago,” it was justified, adding: “He was not on the lists and we have no contact with him now.”
According to the Chega candidate in Vendas Novas, Marco Silva informed the candidacy of his intention to leave the party.
In the previous local elections held in 2021, Marco Silva was the lead candidate for Chega in Vendas Novas but was not elected. He also served as the coordinator of the party’s local branch.
The source from the Évora Territorial Command of the GNR reported that the alleged arsonist was caught in the act early Thursday morning near EM530, which connects Cortiçadas de Lavre to National Road 380 (EN380), after being seen leaving his vehicle and setting fire on the roadside.
“He possessed a lighter, a bottle of alcohol, and newspapers,” which he allegedly used to start the fire, it was stated.
According to the GNR, the Montemor-o-Novo Detachment had been investigating since Sunday following the emergence of fire outbreaks overnight, over several days, in that region.
As a result of these blazes, “pasture burned, and the firefighters from Vendas Novas and Montemor-o-Novo quickly extinguished the fires,” it was noted.
In a press conference today at Chega’s headquarters in Lisbon, Chega president André Ventura called for an internal process aiming at Marco Silva’s expulsion from the party.
“Yesterday, upon hearing the news, I personally submitted a report to the party’s Jurisdiction Council to proceed with the expulsion, if he was still a member,” he stated.
André Ventura further declared that this official “is a criminal who must be punished, like everyone else, with a long sentence to learn that you do not play with the territory and do not play with people’s lives.”
The president of Chega called for an internal process today to expel Marco Silva, representative of the Vendas Novas candidature, who was arrested on suspicion of arson.
Lusa | 14:06 – 05/09/2025
