In a statement to journalists following a campaign event at the Sociedade Protetora dos Animais in Lisbon, Inês de Sousa Real commented on the accusation against deputy and candidate Cristina Rodrigues for crimes allegedly committed within parliament. Sousa Real emphasized that these allegations should be “sufficiently grave” for the leader of Chega to “fulfill what he preaches and demands of other benches.”
“This only further exposes the hypocrisy of Chega, and Chega owes an apology to the Portuguese people. The party captures public indignation and dissatisfaction regarding national problems but harbors within its ranks individuals facing legal issues, and even more serious crimes,” she added.
The spokesperson for the People-Animals-Nature (PAN) party was responding to the commencement of the trial of Cristina Rodrigues, who is accused in a case related to the 2020 “computer blackout” at PAN, during which emails of party leaders, including those of Rodrigues herself, were deleted.
Sousa Real also accused André Ventura of spreading falsehoods by suggesting a “persecutory intent against Cristina Rodrigues.” She clarified that the complaint filed by her party was against unknown persons following “a blackout in the email accounts of PAN.”
The PAN leader expressed confidence in the judicial system, highlighting the evidence gathered in parliament by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Judiciary Police. She further commented, “Each vote for Chega supports a party that seeks to be part of the system, to benefit from it.”
In the 2022 indictment, the Public Prosecutor (MP) described Cristina Rodrigues’ actions as having a “very high degree of illegality,” though it suggested that her sentence should not exceed five years, noting her lack of a criminal record.
Cristina Rodrigues, currently a Chega deputy in the Assembly of the Republic and a candidate for re-election in Porto, is charged with a “crime of damage related to programs or other computer data,” in co-authorship with former PAN employee Sara Fernandes, and a “crime of illicit access” to PAN’s computer files.
On Tuesday, Chega’s president stated that the inclusion of Cristina Rodrigues on the candidate list was a “considered decision” and sought to distance the process from issues involving principals of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).
