Anonymous complaint accuses CHEGA of ‘violating statute of MPs’ and ‘vandalising’ parliament
The ‘outrage’ vented in parliament last Friday appears to have led to the lodging of an ‘anonymous complaint’ against CHEGA, for hanging extremely provocative posters from the windows of its parliamentary base ahead of the final voting on the State Budget.
The posters showed the prime minister and leader of the country’s main opposition apparently holding up a fan-like display of high-value euro notes. CHEGA’s message was loud and clear: voting to reinstate the 5% cut in MPs salaries was nothing short of grotesque given the situation of so many of the country’s citizens… This is the justification that the party has been giving since Friday, when almost every parliamentary bench approached apoplexy over what was seen as a cheap publicity stunt of the worst kind.
It has not helped that over the weekend President Marcelo said he too was not really in favour of increasing MPs pay just yet. He would have preferred the measure would come into force once his stint as president was over.
The trouble is that this measure – that will cost the public purse another €2 million every year – is not just about ‘reinstating salary levels’ of MPs, it refers to almost all public managers/ mayors, etc. – none of whom are ever seen as people who require further remuneration.
Suffice it to say, SIC Notícias is reporting this morning that the Public Prosecutor’s Office is “obliged to open an investigation” into CHEGA’s protest. “André Ventura is accused of violating the statute for MPs, and vandalising the Palace of São Bento (the parliamentary building)”.
To be fair, it might be more understandable if the complainant had not hidden behind anonymity.
SIC adds that beyond the accusations, the complaint also calls on the ‘lifting of parliamentary immunity of CHEGA’s parliamentary leader Pedro Pinto, so that he can be questioned as a witness.
From this, the understanding is that the ‘anonymous complaint’ will almost certainly have come from someone/ some people, within parliament.
