Parliamentary committee considers a complaint against Nuno Rebelo de Sousa “for disobedience”
The son of President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has informed the parliamentary commission of inquiry trying to get to the bottom of the ‘Brazilian twins favoritism scandal’ that he refuses to provide clarifications of his role in the affair, admitting nonetheless he could make himself present at a hearing “at a future time”.
The news of yet another key figure in this controversy shunning the work of the parliamentary inquiry came less than 48-hours after former Secretary of State for Health António Lacerda Sales appeared before the inquiry, invoking his right to silence.
Mr Lacerda Sales told MPs that he refuses to be used as a scapegoat in the affair that was originally reported as a case of the president himself having ‘pulled strings’ to see two chronically ill babies, living in Brazil, receive free treatment on the Portuguese SNS with a drug purported to cost €2 million ‘a shot’.
Yesterday, CNN Portugal reported on a letter signed by Rui Patrício, the lawyer for the president’s son Nuno, which read: “Mr Nuno Rebelo de Sousa does not intend to give any testimony to the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) in question or provide any clarification or consider providing any document, and, moreover, not only before the CPI, but before any other entity other than the entity dominus of criminal investigation which, as is public, the Public Prosecutor’s Office is conducting.”
However, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s son, who lives in Brazil, “does not exclude, of course, being able to come to Portugal in the future and, if possible, convenient and useful for the work of this Commission, being present at the hearing”.
This afternoon, the parliamentary committee of inquiry was due to analyse Nuno Rebelo de Sousa’s response – which it had done as this text was being prepared.
According to reports, the committee “does not accept” Rebelo de Sousa’s refusal, and is considering making a formal complaint to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for disobedience.
Nuno Rebelo de Sousa’s Brazilian domicile will mean that even a formal complaint does not ‘legally bind him’ to return to Portugal. But his response to this response by the CPI has yet to come
The ‘Brazilian twins controversy’ was initially broken last November – almost at exactly the same time as the political ‘storm’ blew up over Operation Influencer, which effectively toppled the absolute majority PS Socialist government under António Costa.
President Marcelo has publicly disassociated himself from any blame, and, from his own son. He told international journalists at a dinner recently that he had cut relations with Nuno, and “doesn’t care if he (Nuno) is held responsible” for what certainly appears to be a case of major string-pulling.
There are many other people who have been called to answer questions from the committee of inquiry, including the mother of the twin babies, who is due to make her appearance in parliament, in person, on Friday.
