"It is a decision so that he can defend himself before the justice system and, therefore, he will take his time to defend himself before the justice system. It is important that we have this capacity to defend ourselves and, therefore, it is often necessary to be a little outside of public office. By being outside of the office he had until now, he will be able to defend himself before the justice system", stated Carlos Moedas (PSD).

The Mayor of Lisbon, who was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a press conference in Porto, also said he did not have "much more to add" on the subject.

"I do not have much more to add, I requested his suspension, he accepted immediately, the matter is closed", he reiterated.

The Culture Councillor of the Lisbon City Council suspended his mandate, at the request of the mayor, days after being accused of the crime of fraud in internal elections of the CDS-PP.

In a written statement sent to Lusa on Sunday, Carlos Moedas revealed that he had asked Diogo Moura "to suspend his mandate, a request to which he immediately agreed".

Diogo Moura (CDS-PP) was accused by the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) of fraud crimes in two internal elections of the Christian Democrats.

In the note sent to Lusa, Carlos Moedas explained that, "despite the allegations that are imputed to him [Diogo Moura] not referring to the mandate as a councillor", he considers "that there are no conditions for the councillor to continue to develop his work in favour of the people of Lisbon".

The mayor praises "the excellent work, commitment and dedication" of Diogo Moura over the last two and a half years as a councillor, "in areas such as innovation, economy and culture".

Also in a written note sent to Lusa, also on Sunday, Diogo Moura stated that the Mayor of Lisbon had asked him to suspend his mandate as Culture Councillor "to avoid the attacks that the opposition is directing at the executive" of the capital's local authority.

Diogo Moura stated that this process "has nothing to do" with his duties as a councillor, "nor with council decisions".

"The aforementioned process is not only external to the CML -- it involves party acts -- but also refers to a time well before the current municipal mandate. I was not indicted, tried or convicted. The nature of the process is that of a personal attack without foundation", he defended, claiming to be "completely innocent" and guaranteeing that he will prove it.

The Public Prosecutor's Office accused Diogo Moura, who is also vice-president of the CDS-PP, of "two aggravated electoral fraud crimes", for allegedly having tried to manipulate the votes of members in two electoral acts (2019 and 2021), as reported on Thursday by CNN Portugal.

According to that television channel, Diogo Moura "knew that a secretary of the Lisbon district was at the polling station and sent her several messages asking her to put into the ballot boxes the votes of members who did not show up at the polling station".

However, according to CNN Portugal, "the secretary of the district never agreed to the requests" and the case ended up being reported and investigated by the PSP, with the centrist mayor now being formally accused by the 4th section of the DIAP (Department of Investigation and Criminal Action) of Lisbon.

On Friday, the PS and the Left Bloc had defended the resignation of Diogo Moura.

The Lusa agency has already asked the Lisbon City Council who will replace Diogo Moura in office, but has not yet received an answer.

Also Read: Centrist Diogo Moura says he is the target of a "personal attack without foundation" (Portuguese version)