António Costa has been attempting unsuccessfully for over a year to consult the investigation process in which references to his involvement in certain facts have been made by defendants in the Influencer Operation, under investigation for more than two years.
This information was reported on Friday. Prosecutors from the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) in charge of the investigation against the former prime minister have denied Costa access to the case four times, citing that it is under “judicial secrecy.” However, Costa’s initial request to view the process reportedly occurred before this condition was imposed.
The first request by the current President of the European Council for access to the case files was reportedly made in early April 2024, after the matter was transferred from the Supreme Court, where it had been while he was prime minister.
The process was handled by prosecutor Rita Madeira from the DCIAP, and she was reportedly the one who denied Costa’s request. However, the case only became subject to judicial secrecy in late May, following a decision by an investigating judge after a 17 April MP recommendation, which was issued after Costa’s initial request.
Subsequently, Costa, who has already been heard upon request as a declarant, made three additional requests, all denied for the same reason.
António Costa’s defense today criticized statements made by the Prosecutor General of the Republic concerning the Influencer Operation case, which led to the former prime minister’s resignation, deeming them “unclear.”
Lusa | 18:00 – 09/11/2025
It has been reported that conversations among defendants prompted the MP to investigate Costa, particularly one discussion involving a provision of the Simplex Industrial, known as the “tricky law,” which would benefit a company promoting the data center.
It is noteworthy that António Costa resigned after former Prosecutor General Lucília Gago inserted a paragraph about him in the official Influencer Operation statement.
Two years later, the current President of the European Council remains unaware of whether he will be charged in the process or for what crimes. This week, Prosecutor General Amadeu Guerra attributed the delay in the process to a “pending” appeal from the defendants, which turned out to be resolved and was unrelated to Costa, as he is being investigated in a separate case.
