Luís Montenegro emphasized the sensitivity of wiretapping a prime minister due to the nature of their duties, following the acknowledgment by the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGR) that seven wiretaps involving former Prime Minister António Costa were identified but not reported to the Supreme Court due to “various technical reasons.”
He stated in Luanda, during his visit to Angola for the European Union-African Union Summit, “Besides private conversations, it involves state secrets due to his role. We must ensure legal compliance beyond personal privacy concerns.” Montenegro stressed that wiretaps must comply with legal provisions as they invade privacy and can breach professional or corporate secrets.
The PGR announced that in a recent review of wiretaps conducted under Operation Influencer, seven involving Costa were found that initially went undetected due to technical reasons.
On November 7, 2023, five individuals, including Costa’s former chief of staff Vítor Escária, were detained and later released as part of Operation Influencer.
Suspicions of criminal activity involve the construction of a data center in Sines, lithium mining in Montalegre and Boticas, and hydrogen energy production in Sines, leading to the fall of the government of the current European Council President.
[Updated at 16:53]
