Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa apologized to the nation’s folks on Saturday, expressing embarrassment for the corruption probe launched in opposition to himself and a number of other members of his administration.
Costa mentioned he felt betrayed when he discovered that authorities had discovered tens of hundreds of euros in envelopes within the workplace of his chief of workers, Vítor Escária, throughout a police raid of the prime minister’s official residence on Tuesday.
“It’s one thing that embarrasses me and I’ve an obligation to apologize,” Costa mentioned in a televised speech.
Costa, who resigned on Tuesday however will stay the nation’s caretaker prime minister till snap elections are held in March 2024, mentioned that Portugal continued to be a spot the place it was secure for foreigners to take a position.
Authorities are investigating doable acts of corruption, affect peddling and malfeasance in reference to the concession of lithium mining initiatives within the north of the nation, a inexperienced hydrogen mega-project, and an information heart in Sines.
Whereas expressing respect for the continuing corruption investigation, Costa defended his authorities’s proper to make strategic investments in initiatives geared toward spurring growth and mentioned that his administration had at all times acted “in strict compliance with the regulation” whereas “selling regional growth, eradicating forms and boosting transparency.”
“Future Portuguese governments have to be assured the liberty of political motion to pursue reputable methods,” he mentioned.