“We need a timely justice, a justice that delivers justice, and a competent justice. Because, in this matter, we had a situation two years ago with a sitting prime minister [António Costa], which led to the resignation of that prime minister, and I think the justice system should have progressed further in this whole [Influencer] process and drawn conclusions,” said António José Seguro.
“The facts must be established,” he insisted.
In statements to the press in the village of Cerdeira, in the Lousã mountain range, Coimbra district, following a meeting with university experts and forest owners on the topic of rural fires, the presidential candidate supported by the PS declared himself a proponent of the principle of separation of powers.
“But I also support that institutions should function properly and justice must be timely and deliver justice. Because if it is not timely, it is not justice and it creates distrust among citizens,” he argued.
In the Influencer case, regarding the seven wiretaps involving former Prime Minister António Costa that were not communicated to the Supreme Court of Justice, “for various technical reasons,” according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, António José Seguro noted that the Public Prosecutor “came forward to clarify” what happened.
“And today there is a completely different scenario from the alarmist one that existed at the time [when the case was disclosed],” he emphasized.
The candidate also stressed that the justice sector must examine itself “to see what can be changed” to maintain the trust of the Portuguese people.
“We have too many cases, which are public, that drag on for years, for decades, and this is unacceptable,” highlighted António José Seguro.
He also deemed it necessary to “stop the statutes of limitation and let justice act and deliver justice at the right time.”
In that context, Seguro recalled that this year, a fine imposed on banking of 225 million euros expired, “after having already gone through two courts.”
Regarding today’s meeting related to rural fires, the presidential candidate stated that he is not concerned with the forest and rural world “only when there are fires,” recalling that in July and August of this year, he traveled across the country, especially in the central region, to engage with populations affected in burned areas.
Pointing out that prevention and firefighting, in operational terms, are the government’s responsibility, António José Seguro advocated the “need to learn from past lessons.”
