Lisbon, 10 November. Socialist prime minister António Costa’s right-hand man Miguel Alves resigned this Thursday as foreign minister following allegations of corruption.
Alves, the former mayor of the municipality of Caminha in northern Portugal, has been under investigation since 2019, but two months ago Costa appointed him as state adviser to the prime minister.
Critics have pointed to Costa, who won an absolute majority in parliament this January, for appointing Alves at a time when he was already under investigation.
The country’s prosecutor’s office said on Thursday that he was formally charged.
In his resignation letter addressed to Costa, Alves stated that he could no longer be in the government on the basis of prosecution charges. Costa accepted the resignation and thanked him for accepting the position.
Alves said the accusation predates events during Caminha’s tenure as mayor in 2015 and 2016.
The Publico newspaper reported on allegations related to contracts he signed for a company owned by the wife of another socialist mayor.
This is part of a broader investigation into corruption and abuse of power by local leaders and organizations.
According to Publico, the municipality of Camigny also provided 300,000 euros ($305,280) of revenue for the construction of an exhibition center while Alves was in power. The center has not yet been built.
“I have a clear conscience,” Alves said in his resignation letter, adding that he “fully believes in the legality of all (his) decisions.”
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Reporting by Katerina Demoni; Edited by Sandra Mahler
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