António Costa was targeted by Portuguese justice in a wiretapping case involving possible corruption, and was in fact António Costa… Silva.
© European Parliament
António Costa, Portuguese Prime Minister and leader of the Socialist Party, announced on Tuesday, November 7, his resignation after being accused of corruption and influence peddling. Less than a week after his resignation, the Portuguese judicial system announced that it had made an error in recording an audio recording.
Error in name
The Portuguese judiciary revealed, in mid-November, that the Prime Minister’s accusation in the lithium case was wrong. In fact, the Portuguese judicial system admitted to making an error when recording a phone call that was used during the investigation.
It was actually a call from Diogo Lacerda Machado, close to the prime minister, who wanted to influence the government to get a deal. During this call, the name of Antonio Costa was mentioned, but it is the Minister of Economy, Antonio Costa Silva, whose name is very similar to the name of Prime Minister Antonio Costa.
Diogo Lacerda Machado, who was subsequently detained, realized this copying error. After the Attorney General realized this confusion, she announced that she did not feel responsible for the Prime Minister’s resignation. Moreover, according to Justice, this misunderstanding does not change anything in the country’s political situation, the Prime Minister’s resignation remains valid, and new elections will be held in March 2024.
A large-scale corruption case?
Despite this judicial miscarriage, the issue of corruption remains important in the country, and Antonio Costa’s name appeared in the case and in appeals. In addition, his residence was also searched in early November.
This mistake caused a huge uproar within the country, and sparked a lot of criticism. But the public prosecutor, who admitted his mistake, confirmed that this poor copying had no effect on the continuation of the case, because the recording was not the authentic one, but rather the recording. In addition, the Prime Minister is involved in other investigations, and was already at the center of TapJet (the Portuguese airline), at the beginning of 2023. This scandal led to the resignation of several ministers and foreign ministers. This new issue linked to lithium and influence peddling continues to lead to resignations within the Portuguese government.
For his part, Antonio Costa Silva, Minister of Economy and Maritime Affairs, denies any involvement in the case, and claims that he has not been in contact with lawyer and advisor Diogo Lacerda Machado. The Minister of Economy and Maritime Affairs confirmed that he does not wish to resign, unlike the Prime Minister, who left the government immediately after his name was announced in the corruption case.
But the evidence from this investigation remains ambiguous and does not allow the Prime Minister or the Minister of Economy to be charged, and the people who were arrested when this case broke out have been released.
A difficult situation for the Prime Minister
Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who has been in power for 8 years, could demand compensation for this mistake, but he has not done so so far. He continues to deny his involvement in this case, while respecting his decision to resign, and apologizing for the actions of the accused figures in his government.
This issue also has an impact at the European level. Indeed, António Costa was expected to be Charles Michel’s successor at the head of the European Council.
