The party today released a list of more than two dozen people it wants to hear from as part of the parliamentary inquiry into the case of the twins treated with the drug Zolgensma.

Chega proposes hearing from the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and his son, Nuno Rebelo de Sousa, the head of the President of the Republic's Civil House, Frutuoso de Melo, and also the head of state's advisor for social affairs, Maria João Ruela.

According to the legal framework for parliamentary inquiries, "the President of the Republic, as well as former Presidents of the Republic for facts of which they became aware during the exercise of their duties and because of them, have the option, if they wish, to testify before a parliamentary inquiry committee, enjoying in that case, if they prefer, the prerogative of doing so in writing".

As for previous governments, Chega proposes hearing from former Health Minister Marta Temido and former Justice Minister Catarina Sarmento e Castro, former Secretary of State António Lacerda Sales, as well as his secretary and the Prime Minister's chief of staff at the time, Francisco André.

Chega also requested the summons to the inquiry committee proposed and forced by this party of the current Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, who was president of the Board of Directors of the Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte when the case became known.

It was also requested the hearing of Daniel Ferro, who held this position between 2019 and 2021, when the children were treated, and of Luís Pinheiro, who was clinical director of the Hospital de Santa Maria.

The list of hearing requests submitted by Chega also includes the children's parents, the president of Infarmed, the directors of the pediatric and neuropediatric services of the Hospital de Santa Maria, in Lisbon, the neuropediatrician who followed the children, as well as the journalist from TVI and CNN Portugal Sandra Felgueiras, who reported the case.

Chega also wants explanations, within the scope of this case, from the president of the Institute of Registries and Notaries (IRN), as well as from employees "involved in the processes of acquiring nationality for the twins".

Regarding documents, Chega provides the clinical records of the two children, documents on the referral of the twins to the outpatient consultations of the Hospital de Santa Maria, the internal audit of that unit and the inquiry opened by the Order of Physicians, the process of authorization for exceptional use of the drug Zolgensma in Infarmed, the opinion issued by the "National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Commission regarding the use" of this drug in this case.

The party also wants to have access to all communications "regarding the request and granting of treatment" between the President of the Republic, his son, Lacerda Sales, his secretary, the president of Infarmed, the former Ministers of Health and Justice, the children's parents, the chief of staff of the Prime Minister, the head of the Civil House of the President of the Republic, among others, and "a copy of the official letters sent by the Presidency of the Republic" to the Government.

The parliamentary inquiry committee will meet on Wednesday to deliberate on the requests for hearings and documentation submitted by the parties, appoint the rapporteur, assess and vote on the draft regulation, assess and vote on the time schedule and establish the working methodology.

At issue is the treatment, in 2020, of two twins residing in Brazil who acquired Portuguese nationality, with the drug Zolgensma. With a total cost of four million euros (two million euros per person), this drug aims to control the spread of spinal muscular atrophy, a neurodegenerative disease.

The case was reported by TVI last November, and is still being investigated by the Attorney General's Office (PGR) and IGAS has already concluded that the access to the neuropediatric consultation of these children was illegal.

An internal audit of the Hospital Santa Maria also concluded that the scheduling of a first hospital consultation by the State Secretariat of Health was the only exception to compliance with the rules in this case.

[News updated at 6:32 pm]

Also read: Twins. BE wants to hear from Marcelo and his son, Marta Temido and Lacerda Sales (Portuguese version)