Former Minister of Internal Administration Eduardo Cabrita commented on the latest developments in Operation Influencer on Saturday, which show that former Prime Minister António Costa was heard by the Public Ministry (MP) yesterday. Costa was not named as a defendant in the case that led to the fall of his government and the election of the current Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro.

"It is always positive to see justice being served. I hope that the Public Ministry, which seems to live in another world, clarifies what happened," he said, in his commentary on CNN Portugal.

Cabrita stressed that he was "not making any speculations" and pointed out that the MP had "the greatest autonomy in Europe," and that this model should be safeguarded.

"But that does not mean that the Public Ministry is out of touch with the world. It must clarify. It has a model that is autonomous, but also hierarchical, therefore, precisely to defend the regular functioning of justice, it must provide clarifications," he argued, adding that this idea applied to this case as well as to others, such as the case of Rui Rio, whose house was searched last year - as was the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). The case involved suspicions of embezzlement and abuse of power. "As was applied in what was a tremendous injustice done to my predecessor, Miguel Macedo," he pointed out.

His panel colleague, Social Democrat Miguel Relvas, considered that Rio's situation "is not comparable." "This is a case of a greater dimension. A government fell. A Prime Minister fell. It is unbearable for the credibility of our institutions if another Prime Minister, after the case of José Sócrates which is ongoing, we had another one," he said.

The former PSD Secretary-General also confessed that he was "very satisfied" with the latest developments in the Operation Influencer case. "I think it is very positive for Portuguese democracy - inside and outside. Because we need sovereign bodies and holders of political positions to be respected and for the Portuguese to identify with them," he said.

Relvas criticized, however, the silence of the Attorney General of the Republic, Lucília Gago. "After that paragraph she wrote, it is her own colleagues, prosecutors, who come to the conclusion that there was a mistake. But it was a mistake that led the country to have elections, a mistake that led the country to a completely different situation. These mistakes cannot die without those responsible," he pointed out.

Read Also: 75 thousand euros in the office? Costa says he is "shocked" and denies prevarication (Portuguese version)