Anonymous complaint points to administrative acts that may indicate the practice of the crime of malfeasance
The Rules and Mandates Committee has, in its hands, one more process to submit to the vote in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira, this involving the Regional Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Culture, Eduardo Jesus.
According to DIÁRIO it is a request from the Court Judicial District of Funchal requesting the waiver of the immunity of the government so that he can be heard in the context of an investigation that is related to the processes that are in no way related to other ongoing investigations.
The request for the waiver of parliamentary immunity of the Secretary of Tourism, Economy and Culture of Madeira, to be heard as a defendant, was submitted to the Legislative Assembly of the region on the 15th of October 15, said the President of the Regional Parliament.
“The request related to the lifting of the immunity of Dr. Eduardo Jesus was received on the 15th of October and was dispatched within 24 hours to the Rules and Mandates committee.” States José Manuel Rodrigues.
Media outlet, DIÁRIO, also said that the facts that motivate this request may likely be a crime of malfeasance, not involving any suspicion of corruption or other crimes, as is the case with the ongoing investigations aimed at Miguel Albuquerque, Pedro Ramos, Pedro Fino, and Rogério Gouveia.
The regional secretary for Tourism, Economy and Culture of Madeira is the fourth member of the Regional Government, led by the social democrat Miguel Albuquerque, involved in judicial investigations.
In the “AB INITIO” operation, on suspicions of economic and financial crime, the holders of the portfolios of Finance, Rogério Gouveia, Health and Civil Protection, Pedro Ramos, and Equipment and Infrastructure, Pedro Fino, are involved.
Also involved in this process is the Vice-President of the Madeiran parliament, José Prada, who is also the Secretary-General of the PSD/Madeira. José Prada chaired the Rules and Mandates committee, but was replaced by Brício Araújo.
Contacted by the Lusa agency, Brício Araújo said that so far he has not been sent “any request for the waiver of parliamentary immunity in relation to the Secretary of Tourism, Eduardo Jesus.”
“All I know is through the media and the request to waive immunity in this case has not been sent to me. I just have to dispatch the other four under consideration,” he said.
Today, questioned by journalists on the sidelines of a visit to a company in Funchal, Miguel Albuquerque (PSD) said he was aware of the request for the waiver of Eduardo Jesus’ immunity, noting that it is “any administrative process” following “any complaint,” he said, diffusing the situation.
When asked, if the fact that requests for waiver of immunity from other rulers have also recently been made could jeopardize the approval of the Regional Budget for 2025, Miguel Albuquerque refused to comment, stating that the “new way of doing politics,” based on criminal and anonymous complaints “against situations that are of administrative management or political management are created to cause social alarm and evoke Government instability.”
Miguel Albuquerque also rejected that the executive is weakened by these processes: “This is nothing as he has committed no crime. Do you want to hear the secretary? Well then, he will go there to be heard.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
