André Ventura, president of Portugal's Chega party, said on Tuesday that there could be "crime, fraud or embezzlement" in the case involving Luís Neves, the country's minister of internal administration and former national director of the Judicial Police, over his use of a Judicial Police trailer in personal construction work. Ventura made the comments in an interview with NOW.
Ventura insisted that Prime Minister Luís Montenegro must question Neves directly and that the minister should be removed from government. He said that if no decisions were taken, the situation would deteriorate completely. He accused Montenegro of shielding himself from responsibility, arguing that as head of government it was Montenegro's job to summon Neves and question him.
Ventura said he believes there is reluctance to demand of Neves what is demanded of other politicians. He pointed to the minister's admission that he had not submitted income declarations for eight years, saying he had not been asked to, a situation Ventura called unacceptable. He accused Neves of "hiding something" and described the controversy as a "political disaster."
Given Montenegro's inaction, Ventura said President António José Seguro should intervene, arguing the head of state already has all the elements needed to make a decision.
Parliamentary inquiry into Luís Neves
Asked about the goal of the parliamentary inquiry committee announced by Chega, Ventura said the party wants to investigate what Neves did while heading the Judicial Police, including how he managed assets, and to examine any complicities during his time in that role. Ventura said there is evidence today showing that Neves allowed himself to be drawn into political complicities.
On who will be called to testify, Ventura said there is not yet a list, but he did not rule out summoning former Prime Minister António Costa and former Justice Minister Francisca Van Dunem.
Break-in at Ventura's office
Ventura also addressed the break-in at his parliamentary office. He said it was not unusual for the door to have been open, since all doors in that section of parliament were open at the time and he normally keeps his open too.
He dismissed suggestions that he had staged the break-in himself, joking that if he were ever shot, people would say he had arranged that too. He criticised officials at the Assembly of the Republic for failing to inform him about the break-in, saying it was deputy Francisco Gomes who alerted him.
The Chega leader declined to share his suspicions about who was behind the break-in, despite acknowledging that he has some, saying he would let the investigation do its work. The break-in took place on the morning of Tuesday, 28 July, and documents relevant to the case involving Neves were stolen from the office.
National exam failures
Turning to problems with the correction of national exams, Ventura said Education Minister Fernando Alexandre had done "two fatal things": placing blame on parents for taking holidays close to exam season, and accusing teachers of failing to cooperate.
Despite his criticism, Ventura drew a distinction between Alexandre's case and that of Neves, describing the education minister's situation as political management incompetence, while the Neves case involves suspicion of crime.
Ceuta migrant crisis
Ventura said Europe had behaved very badly over the crisis in Ceuta, and that Montenegro had too. He argued Montenegro was wrong to initially refuse the closure of the Schengen area, saying the prime minister should not have accepted what he called the irresponsibility of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Ventura also criticised public figures such as television presenter and United Nations ambassador Catarina Furtado for appealing for humanity and compassion toward migrants. He said those who suffer are those who are invaded, and that unless illegal immigration is stopped, Portugal will be culturally annihilated.
Political future of Ventura and Chega
A poll shared by Chega itself found that 43% of respondents believe Ventura is the leader of the right in Portugal, while 44% said that role belongs to Montenegro as leader of the Social Democratic Party, known as the PSD.
Asked whether he wants to be leader of the right or prime minister, Ventura said Chega wants to lead voting intentions in Portugal. He said his goal is not to become leader of the opposition, but to position the party as an alternative government.
