The political party Alternativa Democrática Nacional (ADN) clarified today that it is “completely false” that Joana Amaral Dias, a representative of the party, receives a monthly retainer fee.
The newspaper Correio da Manhã reported today that the party representative, who came in ninth place in this year’s legislative elections, receives a monthly sum amounting to several thousand euros. This sum is reportedly billed by ‘Mutant Expression’, a consulting firm owned by the politician’s husband.
“This statement, misleadingly and tendentiously disclosed, does not correspond to the truth and has no factual basis,” the party responded in a statement sent to newsrooms.
“The ADN never paid any amount as a retainer or political compensation to Dr. Joana Amaral Dias,” the statement continued, explaining that “what truly occurred and has always been transparently acknowledged within the party, was the decision to cover part of the salary losses that Dr. Joana Amaral Dias suffered as a direct consequence of her candidacy for the ADN, which led to her unjustified removal from her roles at various television stations, media outlets, and her own podcast.”
It should be recalled that the ADN had already reported, in accounts submitted to the Constitutional Court last year, that it paid a total of 25,830 euros to ‘Mutant Expression’. The party uses the subsidy it receives from the Assembly of the Republic to make these payments.
According to the party, this payment “fits within the ethical and just principle that the ADN has always defended: no citizen should be professionally or financially penalized for accepting to be a candidate of the ADN” and assures that “the same would apply to any other member or candidate of the party in a similar situation.”
“It is unfortunate that, once again, certain media outlets attempt to distort facts and manipulate public opinion, assigning false intentions and insinuating non-existent irregularities when it is only a matter of fairness and consistency,” stated the party, which is presided over by Bruno Fialho, further asserting that “once again it confirms that the ADN and Joana Amaral Dias trouble many people.”
