The former Minister of Internal Affairs, Miguel Macedo, the one who resigned over the Golden Visa affair and went back to being an MP, heard today that his parliamentary immunity has been lifted and he can be heard as a defendant in the ongoing case.
The parliamentary committee for ethics decided in a special meeting that Macedo’s parliamentary immunity should be lifted even though he resigned, has not yet been sought as an arguido, and claims to have had nothing to do with the Golden Visa scandal which saw the arrest of 11 suspects.
It seems that Macedo asked for his immunity to be lifted so he could be called to give evidence and clear his name.
The rules for MPs state that they may not be heard as witnesses or as defendants without the permission of the Assembly and then, only when there is strong evidence that they are involved or witness to a crime with an applicable prison sentence of 3 years or more.
Operation Labyrinth officers who made 11 arrests on 18 November 2014, still are investigating evidence of active and passive corruption, improper receipt of benefit, prevarication, embezzlement, abuse of power and influence peddling.
The case involves the former director of the Institute of Notaries António Figueiredo, the former Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice Maria Antónia Anes, the former director of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) Jarmela Palos, Jaime Gomes from JMF Projects, and several ministry staff responsible for processing the applications.
Such was the lack of process and control in the Golden Visa scheme, launched by Deputy Prime Minister Paulo Portas to reinvigorate Portugal’s high-end property market, that certain of those involved in running the scheme seemed able to exploit loopholes and enrich themselves.
A humiliated Portas redrafted the scheme’s rules and safeguards, lowered the entry level for applicants and has watched in dismay as a torrent of Golden Visas had dwindled to a trickle.
