Aguiar-White refers to Transparency Fabian complaint against Enough

O president of the Assembly of the Republic today referred to the Transparency Committee a complaint filed against the Arrivo by the Member of the Left Block, Fabian Figueiredo, for threats and dissemination of images without his consent.

This decision of José Pedro Aguiar-White is contained in an order, to which the Lusa agency had access, after receiving on Wednesday a participation of Fabian Figueiredo.

In this complaint, Fabian Figueiredo accuses the president of the Aquida, André Ventura, of having disclosed on social networks images of his captured in the corridors of the Palace of São Bento, without having knowledge of their capture or consented to it.

It also states that the dissemination of these images occurred following their participation in the demonstration for the right to housing, in Rossio, in Lisbon, on Sunday morning, which ended with police intervention. And it indicates that the deputy of the Aça Marcus Santos put a comment on the social network Instagram with the following content: “If it took, it took little. If I took more, I wouldn't be rolling, I was limping. Everything will be fine”.

For BE’s deputy, these behaviours “are likely to compromise his honour and dignity, as well as the conditions of trust and mutual respect that are essential to the exercise of the parliamentary mandate”, also qualifying the comment attributed to Marcus Santos “as an apology of violence and a threat to his physical integrity”.

According to the President of the Assembly of the Republic, the central issue is “to determine whether, taking into account the concrete circumstances of capturing and disseminating images and the political context in which they occurred, the reported conduct remains within the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression and political communication or whether it is relevant in the light of the statutory duties and conduct of Members”.

On the other hand, the comment attributed to Mr. Marcus Santos “puts a distinct question, related to the limits of language used among parliamentary term holders”.

“ In fact, the expressions reproduced in the application, when referring to the possibility of physical aggression and its consequences, may raise doubts as to their compatibility with the duties of urbanity and respect required in the relations between Members”, reads the order.

It results from the elements presented, in the perspective of José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, “a situation likely to convene the duties of respect for the dignity of deputies, urbanity, institutional loyalty and responsible use of parliamentary facilities, justifying their assessment by the Commission of Transparency and Statute of Members”.

As regards the BE’s deputy’s request for “the investigation of the authorship and circumstances of the capture of images” released by André Ventura, the President of the Assembly of the Republic believes that the elements presented “do not allow the author to be identified or the conditions under which the recording was performed safely”.

“ It is therefore not appropriate to determine at this stage the conduct of autonomous investigations by the administrative or security services of the Assembly of the Republic for this purpose, without prejudice to the fact that the Committee on Transparency and the Statute of Members, within the scope of its powers and if it deems it necessary, to be able to request the clarifications or additional elements which it considers relevant, in compliance with the applicable legal limits”, is noted in the order.

As for the intended clarification of the rules for capturing and disseminating images within parliamentary facilities, including corridors and common areas, José Pedro Aguiar-White admits this is a matter that could be raised at the Leaders Conference.

“ The final judgment on the clearance and qualification of the facts, as well as on the possible verification of infringement of the duties laid down in the Statute of Members and in the Code of Conduct, falls to the Committee on Transparency and the Statute of Members, within the framework of the powers legally conferred upon it, and it is not for the President of the Assembly of the Republic to anticipate or replace that assessment”, he adds.