Amadeu Guerra takes up post following prestigious 40-year career
Introducing Portugal’s new Attorney General Amadeu Guerra, Expresso describes him as the “stone in the shoe of José Sócrates, during the hottest phase of the Marquês (corruption) investigation”; a man who “did not hesitate in investigating a colleague involved in Operation Fizz (bribery/ favours)”, and one who was a target of internet ‘hacker’/ whistleblower Rui Pinto.
Now close to his 70th birthday, this is the magistrate chosen to head up the Public Prosecutor’s Office until 2030 after a period of enormous tensions.
The formal announcement was made early this afternoon on the website of the Presidency of the Republic: “Following the proposal of the Government, the President of the Republic has appointed, under constitutional terms, Amadeu Francisco Ribeiro Guerra as Attorney General of the Republic”.
With current Attorney General Lucília Gago stepping down on October 11, the swearing-in ceremony for the new Attorney General “will take place at the Palácio de Belém, on October 12 at 12.30pm”, says Belém.
Amadeu Guerra left the limelight forced on him by Operation Marquês in the summer of 2020 due to a serious health problem, writes Expresso.
At the time, he had already left the leadership of DCIAP, the department of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) that investigates the most complex cases, and was the district attorney general of Lisbon.
According to sources heard by Expresso, Amadeu Guerra was chosen by the prime minister relatively recently after the latter “gave up at the last minute on another name that had been suggested to him by an influential PSD group in the north of the country”.
Born on January 9, 1955 – he will be the oldest PGR ever. “Amadeu Guerra is a consensus name among magistrates thanks to the profile of independence he has achieved during a career spanning more than forty years”, says the paper.
The Constitution defines the position of Attorney General as “the highest body of the public prosecutor’s office”, which is presided over by the Attorney General and “includes the Superior Council of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which includes members elected by Parliament and members elected from among themselves by the magistrates of the public prosecutor’s office”.
The prime minister appears not to have consulted/ informed opposition parties of his choice, but those that have reacted to the news have done so positively, suggesting Amadeu Guerra is the man the Justice minister will also approve of to ‘put the public prosecutor’s house in order’.
natasha.donn@portugalresident.com
