The former president of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Rui Rio, made harsh criticisms of the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) this Friday, as well as speaking about the referendum calling for a reform in the sector - which he signed at the beginning of the month, along with dozens of other personalities.

In an interview with SIC Notícias, the social democrat criticized the MP's actions, not only but also in relation to Operation Influencer, the consequences of which led to the resignation of the then Prime Minister, António Costa.

Rio considered that the Attorney General of the Republic, Lucília Gago, should be removed and that this was a matter in which the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, and the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, should align themselves.

"If the idea is that Lucília Gago should leave because of what happened, either she resigns or there is only one way to dismiss her - which is for the Government to propose to the President of the Republic her dismissal and then the President of the Republic accepts or not", he said, arguing that the Attorney General should "put her hand on her conscience and, instead of saying that she does not feel responsible for anything, feel responsible for what happened".

Asked if this departure should happen by 'her own foot', Rio said: "Not feeling responsible for anything, not having to give explanations to anyone - not to the Superior Council of the Public Prosecutor's Office, nor to the Assembly of the Republic, nor to the President - is not normal in a democratic State of Law. This is the institutions not working". And the former PSD leader considered that after 50 years of democracy there was "a serious problem here".

Confronted with the fact that the PGR's mandate ends in six months, Rio criticized: "She is six months away from finishing her duties, and it was six months ago that the Prime Minister of the time resigned because of the action of the Public Prosecutor's Office, without the Public Prosecutor's Office having deigned to call the then Prime Minister - who is no longer so today - to ask him anything or any diligence. This political earthquake happens in Portugal and six months later the Public Prosecutor's Office has still not called the citizen António Costa to provide any clarification".

Rui Rio said that this was one of the problems of justice, but that there were others, which are included in the referendum - and that an audience with the Head of State was requested on Wednesday. "The President of the Republic's response should be forthcoming", he said.

Although Operation Influencer is the most "sexy" topic, as Rio described it, there are other issues that need to be resolved in the sector. "If we analyze the state of Democracy after 50 years, I think that the main regime problem we have is certainly that of justice, which is the sector of society that has evolved the least since April 25th", he considered at the beginning of the interview.

"What is intended is that the political power - which has shown a lack of courage, will and commitment to carry out a reform in justice - receives this impulse from the manifesto so that in unison [Assembly as a whole] it meets in order to reach a consensus on the best possible reform in justice, to give it more effectiveness", he detailed. Rui Rio spoke about the Public Prosecutor's Office, but pointed out that the "slowness" in administrative justice was also a "fundamental" issue. "There are judgments in the administrative court that only become final 20 years later", he said, giving an example that happened in Porto.

"Justice has numerous problems. I am not the most appropriate person to say which ones, but I am clearly aware of the many shortcomings that exist", he said.

Further on, Rui Rio also pointed out that the previous Government "did almost nothing", but stressed that the problem of justice does not stem from the last eight years, but from almost the last 50. There have been successive governments that have not been making the necessary adjustments over time".

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