In a statement, Rita Santos announced that on October 24, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) “issued an order to close the criminal proceedings” initiated following formal complaints lodged by members of the Socialist Party (PS).
In early May, the PS filed a complaint with the Portuguese National Election Commission (CNE), accusing the Macau Public Service Workers Association (ATFPM) of interfering in the mail voting for the legislative elections on May 18.
“The presence of individuals identifying as ‘volunteers’ was reported and observed at the entrance of a Macau post office, approaching voters to indicate where they should vote,” stated the complaint as reported by local press.
“This is the same practice observed during the last legislative elections in 2024, conducted by Rita Santos, a prominent figure of the ATFPM and Advisor to the Portuguese Communities,” alleged the PS.
“Throughout the process, I consistently collaborated actively with Portuguese authorities to uncover the material truth,” asserted Rita Santos in a statement sent to Lusa by the ATFPM.
In June, Macau judicial authorities stated they were “collecting evidence” at the request of the Portuguese MP to determine if a “responsible person from a local association” had committed a crime against the Portuguese electoral law.
The Macau MP confirmed receiving a “cooperation request” from its Portuguese counterpart “regarding a criminal case related to elections for the Portuguese Assembly” and that an investigation was underway.
According to Macau MP, the statement was a response to information requests from local media “about the case of a person responsible for an association in Macau, who is being investigated by the Public Prosecutor” in Portugal.
Rita Santos claimed the process was “based solely on speculation, defamation, and character attack, a typical case of justice manipulation with political-party objectives.”
The PS had lodged similar complaints against ATFPM in the 2024 and 2019 legislative elections. The CNE forwarded the 2024 complaint to the Portuguese MP.
Judicial authorities conducted “a thorough investigation, finding no illegality had been committed and concluding no criminal indications were present,” claimed Rita Santos.
In October 2024, the leader requested suspension of her mandate as advisor to the Portuguese Communities, reportedly to prepare for the Macau parliament elections scheduled for September 14.
However, in June, the ATPM leader, Portuguese MP José Pereira Coutinho, stated that Rita Santos would return as an advisor after deciding not to run for parliament, preferring to prioritize family time.
At the end of August, Lusa asked Rita Santos if she had resumed her advisor mandate, but she declined to comment.
