The Portuguese Prime Minister, Luis Montenegro,He declared that he will make personal and political decisions after facing questions about possible conflicts of interest in relation to a company owned by his family.
The prime minister said he will do “A deep evaluation of the conditions of my personal, family and political life to serve with total availability”. He added that “It is only possible to serve the country if people believe in those who serve the country. I want to guarantee that I will only play the role of prime minister if I feel this trust exists.”
The prime minister told journalists on Friday that he will speak on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. in Lisbon to announce “Personal and political decisions” so that the government can focus “All your attention” in serving the country. Before, in the afternoon, there will be an extraordinary meeting of the cabinet. Montenegro also said that he will attend a leaders meeting of the European Union next week.
Montenegro said last week that the company created when it was not active in politics and that it is absurd to consider that possessing a participation in the firm generates a conflict of interest. On Friday he reiterated that he never made any decision to imply a conflict of interest.
On February 21, the minority government of Prime Minister Montenegro obtained the help of the opposition parties to defeat a motion of censure presented by the extreme right party Chega and related to the family business. Chega said he presented the motion after asking for explanations about the company, called Spinumviva, to end suspicions about a possible conflict of interest.
Solverde, a Portuguese operator of casinos and hotels, told the expresso newspaper which pays Spinumviva US $ 4,683 per month since July 2021 for services related to the fulfillment and protection of personal data.
Montenegro assumed the position in April and needs to find the support of other parties to obtain the approval of the budgets and other measures. It has had to compromise in key policies such as tax drop. The minority government plans to privatize state airline Tap SA this year.
Prime Minister’s AD coalition obtained a tight victory over the Socialists in the early elections held in March last year. That early vote was convened after the socialist prime minister Antonio Costa unexpectedly resigned in November 2023 in the midst of an investigation for alleged influence peddling. Coast, That he denies having acted badly, he is now president of the European Council.
