The Assembly of the Republic, the Parliament of Portugal, overturned this Friday (20) the parliamentary immunity of deputy André Ventura, leader of the right-wing Chega party, and authorized him to be investigated by the courts in a case of defamation. The decision comes weeks after Ventura contested a historic second presidential round, which gave Chega even more visibility in the Portuguese political scene.
The request to withdraw Ventura’s immunity came from the Public Ministry, following a complaint filed by former Social Democratic Party (PSD) deputy Joaquim Pinto Moreira. The plenary approved the measure unanimously, following the opinion of the Transparency and Statute of Deputies Commission.
According to the Portuguese press, the case involves statements made by Ventura in March last year, during an interview with the broadcaster SIC News. At the time, the leader of Chega stated that Pinto Moreira had received “money to carry out works” and “exchange works for gifts”. The former deputy claims that the statements damaged his honor and unfairly accused him of corruption.
Chega’s advisor informed the agency Lusa that Ventura will not raise objections to the waiver of immunity. Pinto Moreira is being investigated in the so-called Operation Vórtex, which investigates suspicions of corruption and irregularities in the approval of real estate projects and works in the municipality of Espinho, where he was president of the Chamber (equivalent to mayor). As part of this process, the former deputy is accused of crimes such as aggravated passive corruption, influence peddling and violation of urban planning rules. He denies the accusations.
