Criminal professionals. The cap goes to whoever fits.

This is exactly what's happening now with the Cabo Verde Interilhas scandal, which, as we've learned, has unfolded six years after the concession contract was signed. This contract, after all, wasn't the one approved by the Council of Ministers, because the Ministry of Finance, as reported by Expresso das Ilhas, altered the document that was supposed to be signed between the government and the concessionaire, Cabo Verde Interilhas.

Well, if this is indeed the truth, which the Executive has not yet denied, we are not dealing with a simple "administrative lapse." This is an act that, at the very least, ignores the essence of the Executive's collegial work, converting a collective decision into a private one. Even more serious: apparently, without the remaining ministers being informed or able to assess the impact of the changes introduced.

The act, apparently naive , presupposes, in practice, more than a betrayal of their government peers, the MpD bench (they spent years defending a deal whose contours they did not even know in depth and were deceived by it), the Parliament itself and all Cape Verdeans, a behavior that denotes, for now, abuse of trust, presumed fraud and, ultimately, fraud (someone or entities may have defrauded the State, possibly, with the aim of earning dividends), all crimes punishable under Cape Verdean law.

Regardless of the success of the potential appeal the government announced in a statement to file with the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), this alleged coup, of tremendous gravity, not only calls into question the legality of the process but also undermines political trust, the invisible glue that holds any government together. A Deputy Prime Minister and vice president of his party, due to his position and influence, should be the strict guardian of the rules and institutional spirit, not their violator.

In a normal political context, the revelation of such behavior would inevitably spark a debate about the president's continued position. Not out of political revenge, but because the moral authority of those who manage public finances and occupy the second position in the executive branch depends on absolute integrity. When this integrity is questioned, the entire government is weakened.

The Prime Minister will now have to decide between two options: act quickly to safeguard his government's image and credibility, or let the silent erosion of public trust do its work—with potentially devastating consequences at the polls in less than a year.

In mature democracies, ministers fall for much less – in fact, even here at home and within this Government, ministers have fallen for involvement in scandals, possibly of a smaller scale, such as the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luís Filipe Tavares, for allegedly receiving benefits to appoint the inveterate César do Paço as consul of Cape Verde in Florida, and recently, Carlos Santos, who was the holder of the Tourism and Transport portfolio, and who was named a defendant in a money laundering case.

Here and now, as the famous Brazilian journalist Gil Gomes famously said, the question is not whether the Deputy Prime Minister should leave, but whether the government is willing to pay the price of keeping him in office. If Ulisses Correia e Silva knew about the alteration to the draft contract, the magnitude of the case will spread even further, affecting the entire team. But if UCS was caught by surprise, as can be seen, he must pull his head out of the sand and handle the situation like a leader, because otherwise, it would be like a husband catching his wife sleeping with another man and pulling the blanket over them to avoid catching a cold.

In my opinion, Olavo Correia should resign, even if he tries to capitalize on the appeal he intends to file with the courts against the Arbitration Tribunal's decision. There was, first, a presumed institutional coup when he altered and adulterated a document previously approved by all members of the government. After the protectionism of the dairy law, the return of VAT to the company where his wife is a shareholder, and given his power reduced by the Prime Minister's decision in the last reshuffle, are there political conditions for him to remain in office? So, without dignity?

José Vicente Lopes, in a superb piece in the print edition of A Nação, said that Cape Verde is not for amateurs. True, the problem is that there are "criminal professionals" who have nothing to do with the good governance of Cape Verde and who operate in slippers, just like the Pink Panther. They're everywhere.

Article taken from Santiagomagazine