In a statement provided, the attorneys João Lima Cluny and Diogo Serrano reacted to the clarification made today by the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGR) regarding the wiretaps conducted as part of Operation Influencer. They emphasized that “at a minimum, it is the responsibility of the Public Prosecutor’s Office to clarify the effective reason why it is now asserting that phone taps involving the then Prime Minister of Portugal were allegedly not detected and not conducted in accordance with legal provisions.”
“It is also necessary for the Public Prosecutor’s Office to determine responsibility for this occurrence and take appropriate measures,” added António Costa’s legal defense.
The former prime minister’s lawyers reiterated that António Costa is not a procedural subject in the case where the wiretaps occurred, “nor in the proceedings where, at his request, he gave statements.”
Costa’s defense also noted that “at no point” were phone taps requested from the former prime minister by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, neither while he was in office nor after leaving the government.
“Two years and many statements later, we still do not know what is at stake,” stated Costa’s defense, highlighting that the former prime minister remains fully available for clarification.
The PGR acknowledged today that seven wiretaps involving the former prime minister were identified and not communicated to the Supreme Court of Justice “for various technical reasons.”
In a statement, the PGR explained that during a recent review of all the wiretaps conducted under Operation Influencer, seven calls were found “in which Prime Minister António Costa was also involved, a fact that for various technical reasons was not initially detected.”
Among these seven calls, six were attempts to contact, noted the PGR in the same statement, emphasizing that “all phone taps conducted within these cases [Operation Influencer], without exception, were promptly presented for periodic control to the Investigative Judge of the Central Criminal Investigation Court (TCIC).”
The seven wiretaps in question “were immediately brought to the attention of the president of the STJ, via the investigative judge of the TCIC,” and the STJ president determined in an order “no longer having jurisdiction over the matter because António Costa is no longer the prime minister.”
The Prosecutor General’s Office also reiterated that António Costa was never directly targeted by wiretaps or surveillance, either while he was prime minister or after leaving the government.
“Incidentally, as part of wiretaps conducted on other individuals, communications were detected in which Prime Minister António Costa was involved,” clarified the PGR, adding that these wiretaps were always known to the President of the Supreme Court of Justice.
On November 7, 2023, five individuals were detained and later released as part of Operation Influencer, including Costa’s then Chief of Staff, Vítor Escária.
There are suspicions of criminal activity related to the construction of a data center in Sines, in the district of Setúbal, the exploration of lithium in Montalegre and Boticas, both in the district of Vila Real, and hydrogen energy production also in Sines.
The case led to the fall of the government of the now President of the European Council.
