The Minister of Justice said today that she has identified signs of consensus with the parties on the fight against corruption, namely in terms of regulating lobbying, and stressed that constitutionality will be a “red line” throughout the process.
These positions were conveyed by Rita Júdice at the end of her meetings with the PAN, PSD, PS and Chega on measures to combat corruption, at a press conference where she was joined by the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Pedro Duarte, and the Secretary of State, Carlos Abreu Amorim.
“These were very useful conversations in which the government listened to the proposals that these parties brought for our analysis, identifying the issues that they consider to be the highest priorities and indicating where there will be greater or lesser flexibility. We are at the beginning of a conversation, but it seems to us that there is a unity of purpose in the fight against corruption,” said the head of the Justice portfolio.
Rita Júdice even said she was pleased with “the willingness shown by the parties in the face of the challenge made by the government” to adopt a package of anti-corruption measures within 60 days.
“I don’t think 60 days is a lot of time, but that’s how long we’re going to work,” he said, before referring to just one specific issue: regulating lobbying.
“This was a cross-party issue,” said the minister, who refused to comment for the time being on issues such as illicit enrichment, faster confiscation of criminal assets or increasing the statute of limitations for corruption crimes.
However, Rita Júdice stressed that “constitutionality is a red line”.
“Whatever measure is presented, we will work to ensure that it complies with the Constitution,” he said.
Speaking to journalists, the Justice Minister said that, after hearing the parties, there will also be hearings with entities representing civil society, namely institutes, or institutions such as the Transparency Authority.
Asked about the need for a wide-ranging reform of the justice system in Portugal, the minister separated this issue from the process now underway in parliament to adopt measures to combat corruption.
“A reform of the justice system can’t be done in two months. There are points that have to be analyzed, such as procedural speed, which also touches on the issue of corruption. But our focus was on listening to the parties and trying to identify points of consensus,” he added.
