In a debate broadcasted on RTP featuring the leaders of the eight parliamentary parties in Portugal, André Ventura, leader of Chega, advocated for a parliamentary inquiry commission, expressing this stance as long as “there is no clarification from Luís Montenegro.”
Regarding this issue, Luís Montenegro affirmed his consistent compliance with his “declarative obligations” and his readiness to provide all necessary clarifications when requested.
The provisional prime minister summarized, “I have acted in good faith within the parameters of the law and ethical conduct,” emphasizing that he is not accused of any illegal activity. He stated further, in response to remarks from all the parties, that “the objective is not clarification; the objective is pure and simple political struggle.”
“I am open to scrutiny and explanations. What is unfair is to freely insult my honor and honesty,” he added.
According to Pedro Nuno Santos, Secretary-General of the PS, Montenegro “did everything possible to ensure that information was not known during the elections.” This statement referenced the Transparency Entity’s request for a new declaration of interests, particularly to disclose clients of Spinumviva, a company founded by Montenegro and recently transferred to his children.
The socialist further argued that Montenegro “lacks credibility and integrity for the role of prime minister.”
Rui Rocha from the Liberal Initiative emphasized his party’s commitment to putting “the interests of the Portuguese first,” indicating that other parties would not meet expectations.
All parties commented on the issue, with Mariana Mortágua of Bloco de Esquerda and Rui Tavares of Livre asserting that Luís Montenegro had not adequately clarified the matter to the Portuguese public. “I listened to the explanations and voted against the motion of censure. I felt deceived because [Luís Montenegro] withheld information,” stated Rui Tavares.
Mariana Mortágua criticized the AD leader for “dragging the country into the mediocrity that normalizes the blurring lines between the private and public sectors.” She added, “Luís Montenegro is a victim only of his choices and the lack of awareness required to be prime minister. I am impartial because I believed the version told in the Assembly of the Republic, only to realize it was not true.”
Paulo Raimundo, representing CDU, argued that Luís Montenegro should have resigned as soon as the Spinumviva case became public, suggesting it would have been “a significant contribution to democracy.”
In closing comments on the Spinumviva issue, Inês Sousa Real of PAN remarked that Luís Montenegro “is a great artist because he managed to turn a personal problem into a national issue.”
Last Wednesday, the newspaper Expresso reported that Luís Montenegro submitted a new declaration to the Transparency Entity, adding seven new companies he had worked with through Spinumviva.
This information emerged just before the debate with PS’s Pedro Nuno Santos on Wednesday night. Santos suggested that Montenegro may have disclosed this information to influence the discussion.
Montenegro denied disseminating or promoting the release of the document and, on Thursday, indicated there was evidence suggesting the PS had “much more to do” with the disclosure of Spinumviva’s clients.
