The Court of Appeal says that there is no indication that António Costa spoke to Lacerda Machado about the Sines Data Center. It adds that the suspicions that fall on the former prime minister are mere speculations.
Vítor Escária and Lacerda Machado are only subject to the Identity and Residence Term, relieving the measures that had been applied by the judge. They therefore do not have to pay a deposit.
The Court considers that there is no evidence of influence peddling.
The court emphasizes that the order presenting defendants for the first interrogation was the instrument that would define the decision of the Court of first instance and that any facts that were added later “could not be invoked in an appeal“. At issue is the case that involves Vítor Escária, Diogo Lacerda Machado, among others and which led to the dismissal of Prime Minister António Costa.
Therefore, “the Court analyzed all the facts invoked in the order presenting the first interrogation highlighting that one cannot confuse a fact, as a historical event, with the content of wiretaps or even with newspaper reports”.
“From this analysis it resulted that None of the facts presented resulted in the commission of crimes, not going beyond the development of the functions of each of the participants, all of whom acted within the same scope.”, says the statement.
The court highlighted that the non-existence of legislation in Portugal on lobbying activity, “legislation that, if it existed, would avoid many dubious situations such as some of those found in the records”.
“O Tribunal cham