Portuguese government under attack over EU prosecutor pick

 

Portuguese government under attack over EU prosecutor pick

 

António Costa’s administration rejects accusations of lying as EU presidency kicks off.

 

BY PAUL AMES

January 4, 2021 7:30 pm

https://www.politico.eu/article/portugal-government-turmoil-eu-prosecutor-pick/

 

Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa’s government is facing growing pressure over a contentious appointment to the European Union prosecutor’s office that’s casting a shadow over the start of Lisbon’s EU presidency.

 

A senior Justice Ministry official resigned Monday and opposition lawmakers are calling for the head of Justice Minister Francisca Van Dunem.

 

She is at the center of a controversy that erupted last week with revelations that the government overstated the qualifications of its nominee for Portugal’s seat at the new European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).

 

“More and more it seems that the reports are true, that the justice minister lied about the resumé of the prosecutor who she wanted to nominate,” Rui Rio, leader of the center-right opposition, tweeted on New Year’s Eve. “We’re facing a very grave issue.”

 

Supporters of the Socialist government have downplayed the brouhaha as a storm in a teacup. They accuse the opposition of poisoning political debate as Portugal took over the presidency of the Council of the EU on Friday.

 

Van Dunem acknowledges there were “lapses” and “errors” in communication between the government and European authorities on the appointment of José Guerra to the office set up last year to prosecute misuse of EU funds.

 

In a TV interview Saturday, Van Dunem rejected calls for her resignation. She insisted the errors exaggerating Guerra’s qualifications were inserted by lower-level officials in an internal communication and were not decisive in him getting the job.

 

“This candidate has a long track record of cases working on fraud involving European funds,” the minister told broadcaster RTP. “He is the best.”

 

However, criticism has continued. Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a veteran of the center right who is now an independent and is standing for re-election on January 25, said the case showed “lamentable” neglect.

 

Van Dunem is the latest key minister to come under pressure in recent weeks as Portugal prepared to take the EU presidency.

 

Interior Minister Eduardo Cabrita has faced repeated calls to resign over his response to the killing last year of a Ukrainian man detained by immigration officials at Lisbon airport; and Infrastructure Minister Pedro Nuno Santos was deemed lucky to survive after publicly clashing with Costa over rescue plans for the TAP airline.

 

The rumpus over the EPPO posting dates back to July when Portugal pushed through the nomination of Guerra, going over the head of a European advisory panel that favored another Portuguese candidate, Ana Carla Almeida.

 

Opposition figures claimed the decision was politically motivated. They noted Almeida’s role investigating a high-profile case involving the supply of fire-fighting equipment following deadly bush fires which implicated Socialist politicians.

 

A group of European legal experts criticized the EU Council’s confirmation of Guerra, together with the appointment of the Belgian and Bulgarian prosecutors at the EPPO, for failing to respect the recommendations of the independent European panel.

 

“By undermining the role of the independent committee without providing any reasons to do so, the Council undermined the credibility and the independence of the EPPO,” they said in an open letter to the European Parliament last October. “The Union cannot claim to be a defender of the rule of law if its own Prosecution Office is born in violation of such rule of law.”

 

The controversy was revived in Portugal last week with the revelation of a letter to the Council of the European Union in which the Portuguese government justifies the decision to nominate Guerra. The letter contains three errors inflating Guerra’s position in the Portuguese judicial hierarchy and his role in major investigations into misuse of EU funds.

 

On Monday, Miguel Romão, head of the Directorate-General for Justice Policy which handles the Justice Ministry’s international relations, resigned. It’s unlikely his departure will quell opposition clamor over the case.

 

“The word lie is tough and disagreeable, but there’s no way around it. The Portuguese state lied to the EU,” Luís Marques Mendes, an influential commentator and former center-right leader, wrote Sunday. “It’s shameful.”