The director of the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DCIAP) explained that, for a “technical reason that is not understood”, a wiretap in which António Costa was accidentally caught has only now been detected. In interview with SICRui Cardoso takes over this “failure”, but ensures that “there was no concealment”.
Because of a “technical reason that is not understood”, the wiretap in which Costa was accidentally caught, when speaking to one of the targets of the Public Ministry, does not appear “in the hearing that took place on the telephone number” and was only detected “later” when what was intercepted was heard “on the telephone device”, these.
The judge guarantees that when “this fault has been detected”, the listening was “immediately sent to the investigating judge so that he could forward it to the president of the Supreme Court”. I.e, “there was a failure, but nothing was hidden”.
The problem arose when the president of the Supreme Court of Justice (STJ) declared that he was no longer competent because António Costa had, in the meantime, ceased to be prime minister, and the investigating judge understood that he had already done everything he was obliged to do.
Operation Influencer broke down two years ago and António Costa resigned after the attorney general at the time, Lucília Gago, added a paragraph to the official statement, explaining the former prime minister’s involvement in the case.
The DCIAP director was unable to promise a quick conclusion to the investigation. “I can only promise serious work.”