Operation Influencer investigation

 

According to Público, the investigation from the Public Prosecution Service that is now known as Operation Influencer was opened after the airing of a report in the RTP investigative journalism show Sexta às 9 in April 2019. The report was about suspicions concerning the concession contract for the exploration of the Romano lithim mine in Montalegre.

 

The São Bento Mansion, official residence of the Prime Minister of Portugal, was one of the places were searches were conducted.

 

On 7 November 2023, the Public Prosecution Service ordered searches in seventeen private properties, five lawyer offices, and twenty public and company offices in order to investigate possible active and passive corruption and malfeasance in the deals regarding the Romano mine in Montalegre, the Barroso mine in Boticas, and the H2Sines and the Sines 4.0 data centre projects in Sines. The public offices raided included the office of the Prime Minister's chief of staff in the São Bento Mansion (official residence of the Prime Minister), the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action, the State Secretariat of Energy and Climate, the câmara municipal of Sines, and the national headquarters of the Socialist Party.

 

Arrest warrants were issued for António Costa's chief of staff Vítor Escária, the Sines mayor Nuno Mascarenhas, Diogo Lacerda Machado (a lawyer and close friend of António Costa that was working with Start Campus), and two other executives from Start Campus, Afonso Salema and Rui de Oliveira Neves. According to the prosecutor's office, the arrests were made because they represented a flight risk and to protect evidence.

 

João Galamba, the infrastructure minister, and Nuno Lacasta, president of the APA, are formal suspects. On 9 November, João Tiago Silveira, a former Secretary of State in past Socialist Party governments, was added to the list of formal suspects; there is a total of nine formal suspects. António Costa, the prime minister, is the target of an autonomous investigation by Portugal's Supreme Court of Justice over suspicions of intervening in the unblocking of procedures regarding the lithium mines and green hydrogen plant deals. The investigation was officially named Operation Influencer by the Public Prosecution Service on 9 November 2023.

 

78,000 euros in cash were found in Vítor Escária's office in the São Bento Mansion, hidden in books and wine boxes. When asked about this, his lawyer assured that the money found is not illegal. António Costa sacked Escária after learning about the money found in his office, replacing him with Tiago Vasconcelos. The money in his office was later proven to have no relation to the lithium and green hydrogen deals. On 13 November 2023, the five defendants who were arrested as part of Operation Influencer were allowed to wait for their trial in freedom. Escária had to surrender his passport and was also prohibited to leave Portugal. On 14 November, Escária announced that he was going to appeal against the coercive measures imposed on him.

 

Consequences

The announcement of the investigations on 7 November 2023 caused immediate political turmoil, with some opposition parties asking for the resignations of João Galamba and António Costa. Costa met with president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa twice before announcing his resignation in a televised statement in the afternoon. He said he would not run again for office and would remain in caretaker duties until the next legislative elections.

 

On 9 November, after meeting with the Council of State and talking with the political parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic, president Rebelo de Sousa announced snap elections to be held on 10 March 2024. Because the 2024 government budget debate was still underway in the parliament and by law elections need to be held within 60 days of the dissolution of the parliament, president Rebelo de Sousa opted for dissolving the parliament after the final vote on the 2024 budget bill due on 29 November. On 13 November, João Galamba resigned from his position of Minister of Infrastructure.The project for the Barroso mine in Boticas was not affected by the investigations and is advancing towards the execution phase.