LISBON: Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa resigned Tuesday after his government was involved in a widespread corruption probe, sending a shock wave through the normally tranquil politics of the European Union member.
The 62-year-old Costa, Portugal’s Socialist leader since 2015, asserted his innocence but said in a nationally televised address that “in these circumstances, obviously, I have presented my resignation to the president of the republic.”
The announcement came hours after police arrested his chief of staff while raiding several public buildings and other properties as part of the probe.
The state prosecutor’s office said the Supreme Court was examining suspects’ “use of the prime minister’s name and his involvement” when carrying out allegedly illicit activities. It said the minister of infrastructure, João Galamba, and the head of the environmental agency were among those named as suspects.
Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa quickly accepted Costa’s resignation. He is expected to dissolve parliament and call for a new election.
The president said in a statement that he is calling parliament to convene on Wednesday, and he will speak to the nation after the Council of State gathers on Thursday.
Costa teared up while thanking his family for their support.
“I totally trust the justice system,” he said. “I want to say, eye to eye to the Portuguese, that no illicit or even reprehensible act weighs on my conscience.” He acknowledged that he was not “above the law.”
“The dignity of the prime minister’s office is not compatible with any suspicion on his integrity, good conduct, and even less so with the suspicion that any criminal acts were committed,” Costa said.
An investigative judge had issued arrest warrants for Vítor Escária, Costa’s chief of staff; the mayor of the town of Sines; and three others because they represented a flight risk and to protect evidence, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The judge is investigating alleged malfeasance, corruption of elected officials and influence peddling related to lithium mine concessions near Portugal’s northern border with Spain and plans for a green hydrogen plant and data center in Sines on the south coast.
The police raids included the premises of the ministry of the environment, the ministry of infrastructure, the Sines town council, private homes and offices.
Portugal’s lithium mines and green hydrogen projects are part of the continent’s green initiative being pushed, and heavily funded, by the European Union. Costa has been a major backer of the projects and an ally of Spain’s acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Costa had looked set to remain in power for several years after his Socialists scored a landslide victory in elections last year.
But in December 2022, his infrastructure and housing minister was forced to quit amid an outcry over a 500,000-euro ($533,000) compensation payment made to a board member of state-owned flag carrier TAP Air Portugal. The junior minister for infrastructure also stepped down.
A total of 10 senior government officials have left their jobs since Costa’s party won the 2022 ballot.
Costa said he had no prior indication he was being scrutinized by legal authorities.
“This is a phase of my life that comes to an end,” he said.
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Portugal’s prime minister resigns as his government is involved in a corruption investigation
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Portugal’s prime minister resigns as his government is involved in a corruption investigation
- The announcement came hours after police arrested his chief of staff while raiding several public buildings
- The state prosecutor’s office said the Supreme Court was examining suspects’ “use of the prime minister’s name and his involvement” when carrying out allegedly illicit activities
Zelensky says peace proposals to end the war in Ukraine could be presented to Russia within days
- But issues like the status of Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia remain unresolved. US-led peace efforts are gaining momentum
- But Russian President Vladimir Putin may resist some proposals including security guarantees for Ukraine
KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says proposals being negotiated with US officials for a peace deal to end his country’s nearly four-year war with Russia could be finalized within days, after which American envoys will present them to the Kremlin before further possible meetings in the United States next weekend.
Zelensky told reporters late Monday that a draft peace plan discussed with the US during talks in Berlin earlier in the day is “very workable.” He cautioned, however, that some key issues — notably what happens to Ukrainian territory occupied by invading Russian forces — remain unresolved.
U.S-led peace efforts appear to be picking up momentum. But Russian President Vladimir Putin may balk at some of the proposals thrashed out by officials from Washington, Kyiv and Western Europe, including postwar security guarantees for Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Tuesday that Russia wants a comprehensive peace deal, not a temporary truce.
If Ukraine seeks “momentary, unsustainable solutions, we are unlikely to be ready to participate,” Peskov said.
“We want peace — we don’t want a truce that would give Ukraine a respite and prepare for the continuation of the war,” he told reporters. “We want to stop this war, achieve our goals, secure our interests, and guarantee peace in Europe for the future.”
American officials on Monday said that there’s consensus from Ukraine and Europe on about 90 percent of the US-authored peace plan. US President Donald Trump said: “I think we’re closer now than we have been, ever” to a peace settlement.
Plenty of potential pitfalls remain, however.
Zelensky reiterated that Kyiv rules out recognizing Moscow’s control over any part of the Donbas, an economically important region in eastern Ukraine made up of Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia’s army doesn’t fully control either.
“The Americans are trying to find a compromise,” Zelensky said, before visiting the Netherlands on Tuesday. “They are proposing a ‘free economic zone’ (in the Donbas). And I want to stress once again: a ‘free economic zone’ does not mean under the control of the Russian Federation.”
The land issue remains one of the most difficult obstacles to a comprehensive agreement.
Putin wants all the areas in four key regions that his forces have seized, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory.
Zelensky warned that if Putin rejects diplomatic efforts, Ukraine expects increased Western pressure on Moscow, including tougher sanctions and additional military support for defense. Kyiv would seek enhanced air defense systems and long-range weapons if diplomacy collapses, he said.
Ukraine and the US are preparing up to five documents related to the peace framework, several of them focused on security, Zelensky said.
He was upbeat about the progress in the Berlin talks.
“Overall, there was a demonstration of unity,” Zelensky said. “It was truly positive in the sense that it reflected the unity of the US, Europe, and Ukraine.”
Zelensky told reporters late Monday that a draft peace plan discussed with the US during talks in Berlin earlier in the day is “very workable.” He cautioned, however, that some key issues — notably what happens to Ukrainian territory occupied by invading Russian forces — remain unresolved.
U.S-led peace efforts appear to be picking up momentum. But Russian President Vladimir Putin may balk at some of the proposals thrashed out by officials from Washington, Kyiv and Western Europe, including postwar security guarantees for Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Tuesday that Russia wants a comprehensive peace deal, not a temporary truce.
If Ukraine seeks “momentary, unsustainable solutions, we are unlikely to be ready to participate,” Peskov said.
“We want peace — we don’t want a truce that would give Ukraine a respite and prepare for the continuation of the war,” he told reporters. “We want to stop this war, achieve our goals, secure our interests, and guarantee peace in Europe for the future.”
American officials on Monday said that there’s consensus from Ukraine and Europe on about 90 percent of the US-authored peace plan. US President Donald Trump said: “I think we’re closer now than we have been, ever” to a peace settlement.
Plenty of potential pitfalls remain, however.
Zelensky reiterated that Kyiv rules out recognizing Moscow’s control over any part of the Donbas, an economically important region in eastern Ukraine made up of Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia’s army doesn’t fully control either.
“The Americans are trying to find a compromise,” Zelensky said, before visiting the Netherlands on Tuesday. “They are proposing a ‘free economic zone’ (in the Donbas). And I want to stress once again: a ‘free economic zone’ does not mean under the control of the Russian Federation.”
The land issue remains one of the most difficult obstacles to a comprehensive agreement.
Putin wants all the areas in four key regions that his forces have seized, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory.
Zelensky warned that if Putin rejects diplomatic efforts, Ukraine expects increased Western pressure on Moscow, including tougher sanctions and additional military support for defense. Kyiv would seek enhanced air defense systems and long-range weapons if diplomacy collapses, he said.
Ukraine and the US are preparing up to five documents related to the peace framework, several of them focused on security, Zelensky said.
He was upbeat about the progress in the Berlin talks.
“Overall, there was a demonstration of unity,” Zelensky said. “It was truly positive in the sense that it reflected the unity of the US, Europe, and Ukraine.”
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