The civic movement involved in the field of Justice, established in May 2024, expressed strong condemnation today of the “flagrant violation of judicial secrecy” following the publication of conversations involving several defendants in Operation Influencer and António Costa—who is not a defendant—by the magazine ‘Sábado’.
“These breaches of judicial secrecy, through media dissemination, undermine investigations and grossly violate the most basic rights of citizens,” stated the movement in its announcement.
The Manifesto of the 50, which includes figures such as former presidents of the Assembly of the Republic Augusto Santos Silva and Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, further stated that “in this specific case [of wiretap disclosures], facts with no criminal relevance are being offered to public curiosity, belonging either to governance and state affairs or to the private lives of those surveilled.”
The group acknowledged that the disclosure of wiretap content has a “devastating effect on the credibility of democratic institutions,” while simultaneously promoting “the growth of populist movements.”
The civic movement called on the Attorney General, Amadeu Guerra, to fulfill his institutional responsibilities by publicly reporting on the initiatives undertaken, their progress, and outcomes. It also believes it is the responsibility of the President of the Republic to “ensure the proper functioning of democratic institutions.”
Additionally, António Costa’s defense requested clarification from the Office of the Attorney General (PGR) about “why the content of certain criminal cases under investigation continues to be disclosed sporadically, without access granted to those most legitimately interested?”
In a statement released in the afternoon, the PGR clarified that not all investigations under ‘Operation Influencer’ are internally confidential, leading to multiple instances where defendants have had access, unlike journalists.
On November 7, 2023, five individuals were arrested and subsequently released as part of Operation Influencer, including António Costa’s then-chief of staff, Vítor Escária.
Suspicions of criminal activity are focused on the construction of a data center in Sines, Setúbal district, lithium exploration in Montalegre and Boticas, both in the Vila Real district, and hydrogen energy production, also in Sines.
The incident prompted the collapse of the absolute majority government now headed by the President of the European Council.
