Announces commission of inquiry to expose “criminal” failures of recent past
CHEGA leader André Ventura is going for the jugular on ‘nationality and residence’ in Portugal.
While the issue is high on the list of the current coalition government’s priorities, CHEGA’s focus is on exposing how immigration has not been – and how poorly it has been handled – by previous governments, both Socialists (PS) and Social Democrats (PSD).
By announcing a ‘potestative’ committee of inquiry (meaning, it does not have to be submitted for approval to parliament), Ventura said his party was avoiding any possibility of Socialist/ PSD vetoes.
“I’m going to propose to the Chega Parliamentary Group that it immediately start work on a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the granting of residence and nationality in recent years. This commission should investigate the responsibility of the last Socialist executive in this matter and also of the last government (PSD/CDS),” he said.
According to Ventura, the commission “must find out to the fullest extent, without limitations of people or positions, who was responsible for the disorganised entry of people into Portugal, many of them with a criminal record, without any verification”.
This is a can of worms CHEGA feels it has every reason to rip open.
“We need to find out whether or not there may be criminal liability here that should be referred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office”, explained Ventura. “We therefore hope that in the next few days parliament will be able to start this commission of inquiry.”
From a political point of view, says the CHEGA leader, PS and PSD are opposed to the plan “because they know they have responsibilities in this matter (…) And today the country knows that what was done in Portugal in recent years was criminal. Responsibility must now be established.”
Ventura will also be appealing the decision, taken by the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, to refuse a CHEGA bill on changes to the nationality law, ostensibly due to doubts on its conformity with the Portuguese Constitution. In Ventura’s opinion, Aguiar-Branco’s decision was a way of ‘blocking’ CHEGA’s political action, when now it transpires that AD/ the prime minister also want to see anyone who commits serious crimes after obtaining Portuguese nationality losing that status.
Source material: LUSA
