A civic movement established in May 2024 has responded today by sending a communication to news outlets, labeling the situation a “penal persecution attempt” and stressing the need for the Public Prosecutor’s Office to clarify the reported facts and the criteria applied to initiate the ongoing investigations.
The Manifesto dos 50, comprising prominent figures such as former Presidents of the Assembly of the Republic Augusto Santos Silva and Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, has insisted that both the President of the Republic and the President of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs demand explanations from the Prosecutor General’s Office.
“Any attempt to influence judges in forming their independent and impartial judgments and decisions, specifically by employing investigations based on anonymous complaints, is unacceptable,” the movement stated. It includes former ministers Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues (PS) and David Justino (PSD), attorney António Garcia Pereira, and constitutional scholar Vital Moreira.
The issue stems from a report by CNN/TVI about a criminal case against Judge Ivo Rosa during his tenure as an investigating judge at the Criminal Investigation Tribunal, supposedly initiated based on an anonymous complaint received by the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DCIAP) and the Judicial Police (PJ).
In this investigation, the Public Prosecutor is said to have accessed the judge’s billing records, mobile phone location, and bank accounts.
The case reportedly commenced in early 2021, months before Judge Ivo Rosa announced, in April of the same year, the indictment decision in the Operation Marquês case.
In that decision, the judge dismissed most of the charges listed in the Public Prosecutor’s accusation, with the Lisbon Court of Appeal later overturning the decision.
The complaint against Ivo Rosa involved suspected crimes such as corruption, embezzlement, and money laundering, based on what the Deputy Attorney General described as an “inconsistently detailed” complaint.
The investigation was closed in March last year, during which the Public Prosecutor reportedly accessed the judge’s billing records, mobile phone location, and bank accounts.
