The leader of the Socialist Party was questioned regarding the Public Prosecutor’s recognition of seven intercepted communications involving the former Prime Minister António Costa that were not communicated to the Supreme Court. The interceptions, which were part of Operation Influencer, were not shared due to “various technical reasons.” He stressed that the law is clear on the investigation obligations when interceptions involve the head of government.
“I have already publicly stated that the facts in the public domain are of a particularly serious nature,” said José Luís Carneiro.
“The law mandates that any interceptions involving, or indirectly related to, conversations with the Prime Minister must be communicated to the Supreme Court,” he added.
“It is publicly known that they were not communicated, which constitutes a serious failure,” he noted.
Carneiro insisted that the Attorney General of the Republic should provide a “comprehensive clarification of what happened” and proceed with the “determination of responsibilities.”
The PS secretary-general noted that the party would base its decision on whether to proceed with “additional initiatives” on the explanations and “determination of responsibilities” to ensure a “comprehensive clarification” of the situation.
Regarding the political consequences of the statement issued by the PGR in November 2023, which led to António Costa’s resignation and altered the political landscape then dominated by a socialist absolute majority, José Luís Carneiro simply stated: “For now, what I want to say is what I have just said, and for now, it is sufficient.”
The Public Prosecutor’s Office acknowledged on Friday that seven interceptions involving the former Prime Minister António Costa had been identified and were not communicated to the Supreme Court of Justice “due to various technical reasons.”
In a statement, the PGR explained that during a recent “new analysis of all interceptions carried out” under Operation Influencer, seven interceptions were identified “in which Prime Minister António Costa was also involved, a fact that had not been initially detected due to various technical reasons.”
On November 7, 2023, five individuals were detained and subsequently released under Operation Influencer, including Costa’s then-chief of staff, Vítor Escária.
There are crime suspicions concerning the construction of a data center in Sines, in the Setúbal district, lithium exploration in Montalegre and Boticas, both in the Vila Real district, and hydrogen energy production, also in Sines.
The case resulted in the fall of the government with an absolute majority of the now President of the European Council.
The socialist leader spoke on the first day of a three-day visit to Canada, accompanied by Paulo Pisco, the Secretary-General’s Adjunct for the Portuguese Communities, including meetings with the Portuguese community, visits to Luso-Canadian institutions, and political contacts in Toronto and Montreal.
The visit includes meetings with association leaders, Portuguese-origin federal councilors, union and social institution leaders, as well as an intervention at the Magellan Community Centre gala in Toronto, expected to gather over two thousand people.
The delegation will proceed to Montreal on Sunday, concluding the visit with a press conference at the local Casa dos Açores.
