Portugal corruption scandal: Prosecutors confused names in wiretaps transcript, says report
File photo of sacked Portugese PM Antonio Costa.
The Public Prosecutor's Office in Portugal confused the name of sacked prime minister Antonio Costa with that of Economy Minister António Costa Silva in the transcript of the wiretaps of "Operation Influencer." According to a report by Euronews on Sunday (Nov 12), a lawyer for one of the defendants in the corruption scandal case revealed the error was detected during questioning and said the prosecutors recognised their mistake.
The report said that neither the Attorney General's Office nor the Supreme Court commented on the matter.
Antonio Costa, who became Portugal's Prime Minister in 2015, stepped down from the top post on Nov 7 following an investigation into alleged irregularities committed by his majority Socialist administration in handling lithium mining and hydrogen projects in the country.
Costa, who has denied any wrongdoing, announced his resignation after meeting President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. He said his conscience was clear, but he would not stand as a candidate for premiership again.
Costa also said that he was willing to cooperate with the justice system after prosecutors said he was also the target of the investigation. Prosecutors detained five people, including Costa's chief of staff, named two formal suspects close to the sacked prime minister.
President Rebelo de Sousa has called for a snap parliamentary election in Portugal in March next year. However, Sousa said he would only disband parliament after the final vote on the 2024 budget bill, due on Nov 29, a report by the news agency Reuters said.
The president also denied Costa's plan to invite central bank (the Bank of Portugal) governor Mario Centeno to replace him as premier. Centeno faced criticism from opposition parties over his political independence and potential conflict of interest.
The central bank is expected to meet later on Monday to evaluate his conduct, Reuters reported.Opposition parties had previously questioned Centeno's move from the finance ministry to the central bank in July 2020, during Costa's second term as the prime minister.
(With inputs from agencies)