Nearly 50 communications intercepted by the authorities are highlighted in the Influencer Operation, involving former Prime Minister António Costa and published this week by a magazine.

The transcripts reveal numerous conversations over three years with his ministers João Pedro Matos Fernandes and João Galamba, as well as with his friend Diogo Lacerda Machado. Besides the phone taps, there is also a transcription of SMS. Only two communications were deemed “relevant.”

The wiretaps reportedly sparked a heated debate between the Public Ministry (MP) and António Piçarra, the former president of the Supreme Court of Justice (STJ), with the judge counseling the destruction of the conversations, while the MP’s prosecutors wanted to retain them in the process. The latter prevailed because two other STJ judges agreed with this stance in an appeal against the destruction order.

For over a year, António Costa requested access to the dossiers concerning him for consultation, but he was unsuccessful, as reported by a newspaper a few weeks ago, due to the case being under a confidentiality order.

Despite this, there was a leak of information, and the taps concerning the current president of the European Council, from when he was still prime minister, were revealed.

Costa’s lawyers demand explanations

António Costa’s defense immediately demanded explanations from the Public Ministry (MP). They urge the prosecutors to clarify the surveillance conducted on the ex-prime minister and to explain the information leak from a case under confidentiality.

In a communiqué sent to the news agency Lusa, lawyers João Lima Cluny and Diogo Serrano stated that the Public Ministry “is obliged to clarify its actions and demonstrate publicly that it never failed to meet legal requirements.”

“Why does certain content from criminal investigations still under way, to which those most legitimately interested have no access, continue to be leaked?” they questioned in the same note.

Manifesto of the 50 condemns wiretap disclosures

The Manifesto of the 50 has also responded to the disclosure of the wiretaps regarding former Prime Minister António Costa. The movement condemns the publication of the wiretaps, warning about the negative impact on the credibility of institutions and calling for explanations from the Attorney General of the Republic.

The civic movement involved in judicial matters, formed in May 2024, expressed its rejection and condemnation of “the flagrant violation of judicial confidentiality” following the leak of conversations of various defendants in the Influencer Operation with António Costa – who is not a defendant – by the magazine.

“Breaches of judicial confidentiality, with media disclosures, obstruct investigations and blatantly violate the basic rights of citizens,” the statement read.

The Manifesto of the 50 today condemned the disclosure of the wiretaps involving former Prime Minister António Costa in the context of the Influencer Operation, warning of the negative impact on institutional credibility and requesting explanations from the Attorney General of the Republic.

Lusa | 18:39 – 03/12/2025

Attorney General’s office files “criminal report” against magazine

The Attorney General’s office announced that the case where the phone taps occurred “is under external judicial secrecy, but not internal,” enabling access for the defendants, but not journalists, suggesting, according to a newspaper, that someone linked to the defense of the defendants provided information to the magazine.

In light of this, Amadeu Guerra’s office states that “a criminal report will be filed regarding the content reported today,” as it concerns a case of disobedience.

Carneiro denies requesting favors

Another individual ‘caught’ in the phone taps of the Influencer Operation, who is not a defendant, is José Luís Carneiro. At one point, the PS leader allegedly asked a “favor,” as the magazine writes, for a job for a former Mayor of Aljustrel.

Carneiro has denied that the message exchange, involving the former minister João Pedro Matos Fernandes, was a request. The PS secretary-general assures it was merely a suggestion of a profile for a position. “At that time, I was the deputy secretary-general of PS and regularly recommended profiles for positions.”, he stated.

Influencer Operation was a topic in the debate between Seguro and Marques Mendes

The disclosure of the wiretaps was also a topic in the debate between presidential candidates António José Seguro and Luís Marques Mendes on Wednesday night on RTP.

Seguro expressed “grave concern” about the information leak and emphasized that, more than two years later, “no fact” has emerged to justify the PGR’s paragraph about Costa being investigated.

“Two years in such a case is a very serious situation, and what we know, as revealed today by the magazine, are transcriptions of wiretaps unrelated to that case and fact,” he criticized, suggesting that someone must “come forward to respond.”

The seriousness of the justice situation and the need for explanations from the Public Ministry about the Influencer Operation brought António José Seguro and Luís Marques Mendes together, which diverged on labor law reform and political system balance.

Lusa | 22:47 – 03/12/2025

For the PS-supported candidate, it is the Attorney General who must respond because António Costa was the prime minister at the time, “the country lost a Government” resulting in “instability, and nobody responds.”

Similarly, Marques Mendes stated that “justice is sick” and that this case proves the need for a pact in this area, for which he promised to take the initiative in his first Council of State if elected on January 18.

The PSD-supported candidate agreed with his opponent, criticizing that it is “incomprehensible that the investigation of the Influencer Operation is still not closed,” agreeing on the necessity for the Public Ministry to give explanations.

IL criticizes wiretaps of “mundane conversations,” PSD uncomfortable

The IL parliamentary leader criticized allowing “wiretaps of ordinary discussions between Government members,” while the PSD expressed being “uncomfortable seeing wiretaps involving former prime ministers made public.”

The Presidential candidate André Ventura advocated the need for “scrutiny and oversight” to prevent the repetition of “despotism, corruption, and cronyism” enacted by “socialist governments.”

Notably, António Costa was not a surveillance target nor was he made a defendant in the case, however, he was ‘caught’ in wiretaps conducted on suspects and defendants in the Influencer Operation while being prime minister, hence, the conversations involving him had to be validated by the Supreme Court of Justice.

On November 7, 2023, five people were detained and later released under the scope of the Influencer Operation, including Costa’s then-chief of staff, Vítor Escária.

There are suspicions of crime in the construction of a data center in Sines, Setúbal district, the exploration of lithium in Montalegre and Boticas, both in Vila Real district, and in hydrogen energy production, also in Sines.

The case led to the downfall of the now European Council president’s majority government.