Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa has resigned. He is facing huge allegations of corruption: police searched his home on Tuesday and two government ministries, Costa’s chief of staff and four other people were arrested.
The investigation is being conducted on suspicion of bribery and misuse of lithium and hydrogen projects, Portuguese media reported, citing authorities.
40 apartments and offices searched
The others arrested are influential entrepreneur Diogo Lacerda and the mayor of the city of Sines, Nuno Mascarenhas, as well as two other businessmen. A total of forty homes and offices were searched, including the Ministries of Infrastructure and the Environment.
After the raids became known, the opposition called for Costa’s resignation and new elections. Now the head of the Socialist Party (PS) has given in and offered to resign due to doubts about his ‘integrity’.
Wants to cooperate with law enforcement
Costa said on Tuesday after a meeting with President Rebelo de Sousa that his conscience was clear. Prosecutors had said the prime minister was also under investigation. On Tuesday, the Public Prosecution Service also officially named Infrastructure Minister Joao Galamba as a suspect. Costa said he was willing to cooperate with the justice system. A prime minister must be above suspicion, Costa said, explaining his resignation.
Suspicion of corruption in climate projects
The projects suspected of illegal practices are important building blocks for the gradual phasing out of fossil fuels in Portugal. The Montalegre region, in the far north of the country, is believed to have Europe’s largest lithium deposits, which will be mined despite strong resistance from locals. The metal is important for battery production. In the city of Sines in the south of the capital Lisbon, so-called green hydrogen is to be produced in the future using renewable energy in a coal-fired power plant that will be closed in 2021.
Source: Krone
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