Justice Minister says no one has the right to prevent the Public Prosecutor's Office from intervening

Joana Rosa made these statements to the press on the sidelines of the seventh meeting of the Council of the Ministry of Justice, thus expressing her position on the actions of the Public Prosecutor's Office in relation to the Praia City Council (CMP).

"The Public Prosecutor's Office, under the terms of the Constitution, has power, is the defender of democratic legality, of the public interest and the holder of the criminal prosecution. No one has the obligation or the right to prevent the intervention of the Public Prosecutor's Office. The Public Prosecutor's Office is a constitutional body," he explained, reiterating that its mission is to defend citizens' rights, democratic legality and the public interest, autonomously.

"No one has the right to undermine the rule of law. A party leader cannot directly clash with an organ of state power whose job it is to investigate. It's up to the Public Prosecutor's Office to investigate. It's the courts that convict. The Public Prosecutor's Office has the power to investigate the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, ministers, everyone has to submit to investigation when there are indications of a crime," he commented.

In making this reading, the head of the Justice portfolio believes that all citizens are now called to a "democratic vigilance", because what is at stake is democracy and the rule of law.

"We can't let our rule of law crumble, we can't create a climate of instability, distrust, or even bring down democratic institutions because we'll be bringing down democracy itself," she said.

However, when asked if investigating implies breaking down doors and windows to gain access to state institutions, she replied that the Public Prosecutor's Office and the courts can "perfectly" order people to enter spaces that they are not allowed to enter.

"Therefore, if they are prevented from entering, they must, they have the power to do so. And they must use the same force because otherwise they will be calling into question, I would say, the very authority that they have. They cannot be challenged. The Public Prosecutor's Office has to act where it sees fit and not feel conditioned, prevented, frightened from making the intervention that, by law, it is obliged to make," she explained.

According to the same source, if there are indications of corruption, the Public Prosecutor's Office has to investigate, and it should be left to do its job, according to its own competencies.

On the subject of the case, it should be noted that last Friday, the 12th, the CMP's Finance and Assets department, in Fazenda, was raided by the Public Prosecutor's Office, with the aim of seizing documents, money and objects that could serve as evidence in the context of allegations of "illegalities and corruption".

According to the same source, the Public Prosecutor's Office has to investigate.

This search took place in the wake of investigation file no. 27/2023/2024, which was opened by the Attorney General's Office in 2024 against the Praia City Council because of allegations of "illegalities and crimes of corruption" made by the Finance inspector Renato Fernandes.

In a statement to which Inforpress had access, the Public Prosecutor's Office said that the search and seizure warrant, specifically at the Finance and Assets Department of Praia City Council (CMP), was being carried out in compliance with "legal formalities".

Inforpress