Regarding Luís Marques Mendes, the court’s decision to require Ricardo Salgado to be present at the beginning of the trial in the BES case is understandable, as it would be if the court decided to dismiss him, as requested by the defense. However, he considers that the most appropriate decision is for Salgado to go to court “but in a defensive and moderate way”. In other words, “getting in the way you left off” and then “getting fired by the judge”.
“I was not surprised that the court released Ricardo Salgado from the presence, as requested by the defense”, he announced this Sunday in his usual traffic space on SIC. “Medical reports say he is unable to answer complex questions in court. The decision that was made does not surprise me either. What bothers me are the media shows”, said Marques Mendes.
“Apparently, it was a defensive strategy. i understand When many people question the medical reports and the state of health of Ricardo Salgado, the defense wants to show it to believe it”, he explains. “But I disagree, the damage is much greater this way. Ricardo Salgado’s dignity is at stake. And also the position of his wife, his family, which is currently suffering.”
When asked that, in the current context in which Ricardo Salgado (with Alzheimer’s), there should be no judgment, Marques Mendes emphasized that there are different opinions, “legitimate and understandable”. “But the courts are governed by the law. And Portuguese law says that a criminal proceeding can only be extinguished in one situation: the death of the accused. The court cannot do otherwise. And still good. Otherwise, serious allegations of impunity would be raised.”
Remembering that the BES case has already lasted 10 years and could last another 10 years until the final judgment is reached, he considers that, “despite the complexity of this process”, “it is a pity that such a cycle of time “. For him, the mega-processes are “very long” and “justice is delayed”. “There is no instant justice, everything takes time”, he admits. “It’s the difference between it being a reasonable or unreasonable time. A mega-trial can be very interesting from an investigative point of view, but in terms of resources, trial and evidence production it is unacceptable.”
However, he recognizes that “one of the most serious cases of our democracy” is unlikely to be repeated. A situation like BES, BPN or BPP “could happen in the future, but not likely”, he says, citing recent statements by Vítor Bento, president of the Portuguese Banking Association. And note that the banks are well capitalized today and that banking management has changed significantly, with more professionalism and transparency.
Pedro Nuno Santos “performed well in the interest of the country, the PS and himself”
When asked about the decision of Pedro Nuno Santos to recommend abstaining from voting in relation to the proposed State Budget for 2025 (OE2025) – which, in practice, makes the Budget viable in general -, the SIC commentator considers that Pedro Nuno Santos did not make a decision more sooner. because “Plan A of the Socialist Party (PS) was to prevent the PS from making the OE viable”. “But what is left to history is the decision – and the decision of Pedro Nuno Santos is right”, he emphasizes.
For his part, Pedro Nuno Santos “acted well in terms of the country’s interests, avoiding a political crisis that no one would understand”. “It also did well for the interests of the PS, because this is not a good time for the party to vote, especially when it was very divided.” And finally, “he did well in terms of his credibility.” “In these moments when a leader makes difficult decisions, he gains credibility and status”, he notes. “The Portuguese reward those who make decisions based on the national interest.”
Marques Mendes believes that this decision also helped to “package the PS”, since the decision to abstain came about “more” than the vote against the OE. For the SIC commentator, the winners of the process, therefore, are Pedro Nuno Santos, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (“who worked behind the scenes to help this result, to be quiet”) and Luís Montenegro (who “ showed the capacity for dialogue, tolerance and sense of State”), against Chega.
“The fact that this soapy budget did not exist had only one advantage: it showed the instability of Chega”, which “suggested everything and the opposite”, he says. “Since March 10, Chega has always lost: he lost in the European Championships, in the election of the president of the AR and in the OE. Constantly changing one’s mind does not give anyone credibility.”
While emphasizing that the budget process is not yet complete, Marques Mendes does not believe in impasses in the discussion of the OE in the specialty. “I believe that there are difficulties, but there are no restrictions. I do not believe that Pedro Nuno Santos wants to jeopardize the credibility he has gained.”
It is in this context that he considers that “decompression” is the ideal word to describe the PSD Conference, which took place this weekend in Braga, in a “calm, relaxed and warm” way. For him, Luís Montenegro was surprised by the “anarchy of his hard core party”, with the choice of Leonor Beleza as his vice-president (for his “enormous human and political quality”) and in the final speech, which he considers to be. “going forward”, with a program of action for the coming months in the field of water, security, education, the fight against domestic violence. And, in particular, “in terms of a new recovery plan for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, creating a kind of Expo98”.
Clara de Sousa asked the question if his presence in the Congress was to test the support of the PSD for a possible presidential candidacy, Marques Mendes answered in the negative. “No, it’s my consistency”, he declares. “I have been to most of the conferences. This is my political family. Just as I enjoy going to my family’s baptism or wedding on a personal level, I enjoy being with my political family. This does not mean that at SIC, on Sundays, I am not making a huge effort for independence. When I’m here I don’t wear party clothes”, he said.