Portuguese prosecutors recognise transcription mistake key in Costa probe

1 year ago 42

The public prosecutor’s office in charge of the investigation into former prime minister António Costa has admitted to a mistake in the transcript of a wiretap that led to his downfall, reportedly confusing his name with that of Economy Minister António Costa Silva, according to one of the lawyers for one of the defendants in the case.

“It was Lacerda Machado who signalled to the Public Prosecutor’s Office that there was indeed this error, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office recognised it,” the lawyer told reporters as he entered the courtroom at the Campus de Justiça in Lisbon.

At issue is the wiretapping of a phone call between former Start Campus director Afonso Salema and Diogo Lacerda Machado, a consultant for the company, in which the former asks the latter to approach the government to intervene in a change to the economic activity codes for data centres.

“What Lacerda Machado says is that if it’s the Ministry of Finance, he’ll talk to Fernando Medina. If it’s the Economy, ‘I’ll find a way to talk’ – and this is transcribed – to António Costa. Now, this is absurd. Lacerda Machado, if he wants to talk to António Costa, picks up his mobile phone and calls him. What was at stake was talking to the minister of the economy, António Costa Silva,” explained the lawyer, pointing out that “Silva” is heard on the wiretap.

According to Magalhães e Silva, this was the only wiretap in the indictment in which Lacerda Machado made a direct reference to Costa.

“Lapses, when they are involuntary, are obviously not serious from a subjective point of view. They are only serious from an objective point of view. Whether it was intentional or not, I don’t insult the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” said Lacerda Machado’s lawyer.

The prime minister resigned last week after learning that his name had been mentioned by those involved in the Public Prosecutor’s investigation into lithium, hydrogen and data centre deals in Sines, prompting the president to dissolve parliament and call legislative elections for 10 March.

Tuesday’s operation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office was based on at least 42 searches and led to the arrest of five people for questioning: the prime minister’s chief of staff, Vítor Escária, the mayor of Sines, Nuno Mascarenhas, two directors of the Start Campus company, Afonso Salema and Rui Oliveira Neves, and lawyer Diogo Lacerda Machado, a friend of António Costa.

In total, there are nine defendants in the case, including Infrastructure Minister João Galamba, the president of the Portuguese Environment Agency, Nuno Lacasta, the lawyer and former PS spokesman João Tiago Silveira and the Start Campus company.

Costa is the subject of a probe after suspects in a case related to deals on lithium, green hydrogen and a data centre in Sines said his name had come up to unblock formalities.

On the day of his resignation, Costa refused to accept that he had committed “any unlawful or reprehensible act”.

(Maria João Pereira | Lusa.pt)