Submarine inquiry “rapidly” brought to a close as investigators focus on Paulo Portas

Opposition politicians have failed in their bid to prolong the controversial submarine inquiry, set up to plumb the depths of millions of euros worth of alleged government fraud in the purchase of defence equipment.
The ruling PSD/CDS-PP coalition yesterday rejected calls that centred on the need to re-interview certain members of government – particularly Deputy PM Paulo Portas who was Defence Minister during the years the billion euro submarines were purchased.
As questions over kickbacks and rigged deals continue, national tabloid Correio da Manhã writes that despite the government’s haste to wind things up, over €40 million worth of ‘bribes’ are now being investigated.
Under the headline “Justice hones in on Portas’ business”, the paper also reveals how Ricardo Salgado and the “Espírito Santo clan” were involved in the alleged frauds which are believed to have extended to the purchase of 22 Pandur armoured vehicles – again at the time Portas held the reins at the Ministry of Defence.
“In the purchase of the Pandurs – just as happened in the case of the submarines – millions of euros worth of bribes were identified as being paid to certain intermediaries,” CM writes today (Thursday).
“A cake of almost €10 million was distributed through payments made to fiscal tax havens.
“In the case of the submarines, some of the beneficiaries of commissions have been identified – for example, the Espírito Santo family – but direct beneficiaries in the armoured vehicles deal have yet to be established.”
DCIAP criminal investigators are armed with a dossier sent to the Economy Ministry when Álvaro Santos Pereira was in charge.
The dossier alleged that people involved in the defence contracts committed the crimes of “qualified fraud, economic participation in business and illegitimate appropriation”.
The Espírito Santo “clan” – a total of five leading family members – are reported to have each received a million euro as their “commission” for the €30 million paid to consulting group Escom, which belonged to the Espírito Santo group at the time.
CM reports that DCIAP have been unravelling the Ariadne’s Thread of payments as part of their investigations into the lost billions of the collapsed Espírito Santo banking empire.
But as their investigations continue, ruling politicians have called a halt to further questioning of key figures in parliament.
The so-called “submarine inquiry” will come to an end next week, on Wednesday October 8 – no matter what opposition parties say.
Left Bloc MP João Semedo has called the move “rapidinha” (very quick). “It will go down in parliamentary history” for its speed, he told reporters, while Socialist José Magalhães “questioned the benefits” of suspicions still weighing on members of the current executive “namely Paulo Portas”, writes CM.
While Durão Barroso – outgoing EC president and Portugal’s prime minister during the years in question – claims he has no knowledge of the nitty-gritty behind the deals, one positive bit of news emerged this week: investigations are not likely to hit the convenient time-bars that often render serious cases suddenly “exempt from justice”.
Attorney General Joana Marques Vidal has assured the parliamentary inquiry of this in an official declaration sent last month, writes CM.
Readers will also recall that last month, Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho was able to use judicial time bars to dodge inconvenient questions over alleged backhanders he is believed to have received in the late 1990s.