\n
Costa quit on November 7, ending almost nine years in office – Copyright Ecuadorian Presidency\/AFP\/File Handout<\/small><\/em><\/p>\nThomas CABRAL<\/em><\/p>\nThe corruption investigation that sparked ex-Portuguese premier Antonio Costa\u2019s resignation last year risks collapsing after a court said there had been no indication of a crime being committed.<\/p>\n
The then-Socialist Party leader suddenly quit on November 7, ending almost nine years in office, after becoming embroiled in a probe into his administration\u2019s handling of energy-related contracts.<\/p>\n
But \u201cthe elements do not in their own right constitute criminal nature,\u201d the Lisbon Court of Appeal said in a statement Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of the facts reported indicate that crimes have been committed,\u201d it said, criticising the investigation that began in November.<\/p>\n
Costa, rumoured as a possible successor to Charles Michel as European Council president, was accused of having participated in drawing up a land planning law benefiting a company which planned to build a mega-data centre near the southern port of Sines.<\/p>\n
The Socialist Party\u2019s secretary-general Pedro Nuno Santos said the public prosecutor owed \u201cexplanations to the Portuguese people\u201d and that democracy was at risk.<\/p>\n
When the court states that \u201cthere are no criminal clues\u201d, this is \u201ca very harsh expression about an investigation that has had very serious political consequences for the country,\u201d Socialist MP Mariana Vieira da Silva said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Costa had still not been heard by the courts, she told Radio 1.<\/p>\n
Leader of the far-right Chega party, Andre Ventura, denounced the \u201cpressure\u201d on the judiciary to \u201cquickly clear\u201d Costa \u201cbecause he has to go to the European Council\u201d.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said it was becoming more likely that a \u201cPortuguese will sit on the European Council this autumn in Brussels\u201d.<\/p>\n
A spokeswoman for the public prosecutor\u2019s office told AFP on Thursday that it would continue its investigations despite the Lisbon Court of Appeal\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n
In November, the public prosecutor\u2019s office raided Costa\u2019s official residence, while his chief of staff and a business lawyer close to the former prime minister were taken into custody.<\/p>\n
The prosecutor\u2019s office said in a statement that Costa\u2019s name had been mentioned by some suspects and that as a result proceedings against him had been opened in the Supreme Court of Justice.<\/p>\n
Costa announced his resignation the same day and said he would not stand for re-election. His Socialist Party then narrowly lost the ensuing elections in March.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Probe into Portugal ex-PM Costa appears to collapse
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#Probe #Portugal #exPM #Costa #appears #collapse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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