“I am very happy”, were the words today of Miguel Alves, former Secretary of State to prime minister António Costa, forced to resign last year over suspicions that he had violated the rules of public procurement. Speaking to journalists outside the court in Viana do Castelo, Miguel Alves said that “as politicians we are always exposed to public scrutiny, it’s true that there has been personal and family damage, that’s natural, it has happened and it’s irreparable”. And thus this week sees another case where a politician has been forced to resign on suspicions that are deemed to have been unfounded.
