Ventura has once again accused Joaquim Pinto Moreira, the former mayor of Espinho and ex-PSD deputy, of being “known for the dishonest and even corrupt way he managed the city’s affairs” and “diverted money.”
The statements from the Chega candidate and leader come in response to the Public Prosecutor’s Office request to lift André Ventura’s parliamentary immunity for him to be heard as a defendant following a complaint of alleged defamation filed by Joaquim Pinto Moreira.
The issue stems from declarations by the Chega president in a March interview to SIC, where Ventura allegedly accused Pinto Moreira of receiving “money for doing works” and “exchanging works for gifts.”
The former vice-president of the PSD bench also accuses Ventura of making these statements “with clear intent to defame.”
Ventura, speaking to journalists in Ponta Delgada on the sidelines of a street campaign, stated, “more and more, there are two types of politicians: those who say things and those who do not,” suggesting that some fear they might be judged or prosecuted.
The candidate asserted that “it was clear from the wiretaps in the process” that Joaquim Pinto Moreira “is corrupt” and “diverted money for personal gain,” having “enriched at the expense of public works.”
In 2023, the former president of the Espinho City Council (2009-2021) was accused by the Porto Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DIAP) of two crimes of passive corruption, one of influence peddling, and another of violating urban planning rules, the latter jointly committed.
André Ventura described Pinto Moreira’s stance as “an incorrect way of conducting political debate,” but maintained his position, expressing his frustration with “corrupt individuals in Portugal.”
Meanwhile, parliament is set to approve on Friday a Transparency Commission report authorizing the Chega president to answer in court regarding his posters about Bangladesh and the Roma community.
The candidate remarked that the focus should be on “discussing proposals for the country” rather than posters, considering it “a bad day for political freedom in Portugal.”
André Ventura hopes the court will ensure that “saying that Roma people must comply with the law or that immigrants cannot live on subsidies is not a crime.”
He also commented on the four-day workweek proposal, stating that “one cannot continue to insist on a logic of reducing productivity and wealth.” He emphasized the need to give “more rights to workers” but also to provide businesses and the economy with growth factors.
The Chega leader claimed that such experiments “have worked in very few countries” and that the proposal “only increases laxity and dependence on the State,” suggesting it leads toward a situation similar to Venezuela.
