"Miguel Albuquerque, candidate for PSD in Madeira, is a huge embarrassment to Luís Montenegro (...). These days, the political parties are being heard by the Minister of Justice on issues of corruption. I ask: what signal is being given about the intentions of really attacking corruption when the leader of the national PSD explicitly supports Miguel Albuquerque who is being investigated?", said Rui Rocha.

At the opening of the National Council that takes place today in Porto, the president of IL put forward some of the measures that he will present, on Monday, to the Minister of Justice, Catarina Sarmento e Castro, but first he criticized the support of the leader of PSD to the social-democratic candidate in Madeira.

"What is the value of these consultations [with the minister] on the fight against corruption, when in practice, at the time when it was possible to take a position on what is happening in Madeira, the position is to support Miguel Albuquerque? I am not saying that he is accused. He naturally has the right to the presumption of innocence. But he is someone who is being investigated", said Rui Rocha.

Questioning the "morality" of the AD Government to talk about fighting corruption, Rui Rocha invited the Government to "appropriate" the measures of IL to fight corruption "without fuss".

"The idea I have is that corrupt people are not scared by shouting", he said.

The first measure is related to the "proliferation of State entities that say they want to fight corruption", namely the Policy Coordination Commission for the Prevention and Fight against Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism, the National Anti-Corruption Mechanism, the Corruption Prevention Council, the Transparency Entity and the National Strategy for Combating Corruption.

Rui Rocha wants "to stop creating entities behind entities and create just one that has the means and powers to combat corruption".

"If you want to fight corruption, let's be serious. Let's eliminate these duplications and triplications. Let's simplify and reduce bureaucracy", he defended.

IL will also propose that the appointment of regulators and senior management positions be made through an international competition and wants the administrative courts to be much faster.

"One of the ideas that leads to corruption is this idea that the courts do not work and the temptation is to resolve things outside of justice. Today it takes 850 days on average to make a decision in the first instance. It is necessary to align with the average of the European Union and start doing it in 400 days", he justified.

In the only moment of today's meeting open to the media, Rui Rocha also spoke about the European elections, taking the opportunity to praise the leader of the IL list, João Cotrim Figueiredo, who was in the front row of the room, and to appeal for the participation of the Portuguese.

"These European elections are very important. I want to make a clear appeal to the Portuguese to participate. They can do so on 2nd June, by registering anywhere in the country, and on 9th June at any polling station in the country", he said.

Adding that "today, worldwide, the existence of new organizations, new blocs and the role of Europe in the confrontation with these new blocs is being discussed", Rui Rocha defended that this electoral act is important because "the role of Europe is the role of freedom", but "there are many outside Europe and within Europe who want to appropriate democracy to pervert its rules and make absolutely illiberal policies", he concluded.

Leia Também: Renúncia da adjunta das Finanças? "Demonstra imprudência" do Governo (Portuguese version)