“The position of prime minister is incompatible with any suspicions about my integrity,” Costa said at a press conference on Tuesday after a brief conversation with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. – Under these circumstances, I submitted my resignation to the President of the Republic.”
The President stated that he accepted the Prime Minister’s resignation.
Portuguese investigators have reportedly raided several government ministries and the prime minister’s official residence as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in energy contracts.
Later, prosecutors announced that they had filed charges against Infrastructure Minister Joao Galamba and issued an arrest warrant for the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, Vítor Escaria.
Prosecutors said in a statement that the investigation is being conducted into suspected misuse of funds, active and passive corruption of political figures and influence peddling.
A separate investigation is underway into Costa, who is alleged to have personally intervened to speed up the contracts, the statement said.
The investigation is about lithium mining concessions in the country’s north, as well as a hydrogen production project and data center that Start Campus plans to build in Sines, about 100 km south of Lisbon.
Arrest warrants were also issued for the mayor of Sines and two managers of Start Campus due to the risk of escape and the possibility that the illegal activities could continue.
Charges have also been brought against the chairman of the executive board of the Portuguese Environmental Protection Agency. In May, the agency approved a project to mine lithium, a metal essential for battery production.
The second project was given the green light at the beginning of September. The projects are opposed by environmental groups and some local residents.
Portugal has the largest lithium reserves in Europe and is the largest lithium producer on the continent, but currently all its production is directed only to the ceramics industry and glass production.
A. Costa, who belongs to the Portuguese Socialist Party, has held the position of Prime Minister since the end of 2015; He was re-elected in January 2022. His popularity has recently declined following several scandals involving the national airline TAP.
#Portugals #prime #minister #resigned #corruption #investigation
2024-09-30 04:56:26
