“We, the colleagues of Jorge Coelho in the Government of António Guterres during the Entre-os-Rios bridge collapse, wish to express our indignation at the falsehoods proclaimed by engineer Carlos Moedas about what happened in 2001. Jorge Coelho’s actions were a significant contribution to the defense of democracy over the past 25 years,” stated former ministers of António Guterres in a note sent to the agency.
The note is signed by former Prime Minister António Costa and former ministers Alberto Martins, Augusto Santos Silva, Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, Guilherme Oliveira Martins, Luís Capoulas Santos, and Nuno Severiano Teixeira.
These former ministers justified their subscription to the note as a matter of “duty.”
“Since Jorge Coelho cannot defend himself, it is our duty to defend his memory,” they stress.
On Sunday, during an interview on SIC about the causes of the deadly accident with the Elevador da Glória in Lisbon, Carlos Moedas was confronted with the example of the late socialist Jorge Coelho, who resigned from his position as Minister of Social Equipment following the collapse of the Entre-os-Rios bridge over the Douro River in 2001.
Carlos Moedas rejected the comparison, stating that Jorge Coelho’s office had received information pointing to the fragility of the bridge even before the accident. In contrast, he did not receive any signal regarding the Elevador da Glória.
Following these statements, several socialists, including former PS leader Ferro Rodrigues, condemned the remarks.
Former PS Secretary-General Ferro Rodrigues expressed his “outrage” at the statements made by the mayor of Lisbon regarding the reasons for Minister Jorge Coelho’s resignation following the Entre-os-Rios bridge collapse in 2001.
“As a friend and successor of Jorge Coelho in the Ministry of Social Equipment, I express my indignation at the lies of Carlos Moedas,” stated Ferro Rodrigues to the Lusa agency.
The accident last Wednesday with the Elevador da Glória in Lisbon resulted in 16 fatalities and several serious injuries.
