The Portuguese Attorney General’s Office (PGR) has stated that the Superior Council of the Public Prosecutor’s Office has resolved to initiate an inquiry process under Article 264 of its statute. This decision was reached during a meeting held on Wednesday, October 8th.
The Superior Council of the Public Prosecutor’s Office is authorized to open inquiries under the Public Prosecutor’s statute. The statute specifies that the council may order an inquiry into any complaint, report, or information that does not constitute a blatant breach of the prosecutors’ duties.
This inquiry process, as outlined by the statute, aims to verify the truthfulness of complaints, reports, or information and assess whether the alleged conduct might constitute a disciplinary infraction.
Coinciding with this meeting, Judge Ivo Rosa conveyed in a written statement that he is still awaiting responses from the PGR regarding access to inquiries in which he is involved and details about the total number of cases opened by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Judge Rosa noted his awareness of three inquiries, “apparently all archived,” information he obtained following a request made to the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Supreme Court of Justice.
Reports from CNN/TVI last week indicated that Judge Ivo Rosa was subjected to a criminal investigation during his tenure as an inquisitorial judge at the Criminal Investigation Court, allegedly based on an anonymous tip received by the DCIAP and the Judiciary Police (PJ).
In this investigation, the Public Prosecutor’s Office reportedly accessed the billing records, mobile phone location data, and bank accounts of the then inquisitorial judge, suspecting corruption, embezzlement, and money laundering.
The criminal probe started at the beginning of 2021, months before Judge Ivo Rosa announced, in April of that year, the instructional decision in the ‘Operation Marquis’ case, which resulted in most charges by the Public Prosecutor’s Office being dismissed, a decision later overturned by the Lisbon Court of Appeal.
This week, the PGR confirmed in a statement that all procedures conducted from 2021 to 2024 regarding Judge Ivo Rosa adhered to legal rights, freedoms, and guarantees, without involving telephone surveillance.
“In this investigation, the Public Prosecutor’s Office was assisted by the Judiciary Police. Once evidence was collected, it required analysis. Upon conclusion, the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Supreme Court of Justice decided on March 20, 2024, to archive the inquiry,” the PGR clarified.
[Updated at 10:41 AM]
