Filipe Sousa accuses Madeira Public Ministry of political persecution

O member of the JPP, Filipe Sousa, today accused the Madeira Public Ministry of doing political persecution by indicting him for crime of receiving advantage in a process that classes as a “narrative” without foundation.

The Member of the Joint People's Party (JPP) made these statements in the Assembly of the Republic at a press conference that called to react to the request for the waiver of his parliamentary immunity by letter from the Court of Madeira.

“ So far I have not been notified by the Public Prosecutor, but it is good that my immunity [parlament] will be lifted, because I will clarify this narrative that created around a situation that, for me, has no basis ", defended Filipe Sousa.

The Public Prosecutor considers that Filipe Sousa concluded with Cassiano’s Rent Car, Lda, on 10 February 2025, a car rental contract for 28 days and for the overall price of 1,618,96 euros, having returned the vehicle on 10 March 2025.

According to the Public Prosecutor, the manager of that company will have decided not to charge rent “only because this is the mayor of Santa Cruz and because of these functions”. And Philip Sousa has “accepted not to pay the rent, well knowing that this corresponded to an asset advantage that was not due to him”, which may fit into the practice of “crime with direct intent”.

Before the journalists, Filipe Sousa countered that at that time he had his term suspended as mayor and assured that he will easily prove, through copies of documents that are in his possession, that he effectively paid the rental of the car.

Then he attacked the prosecutor of this case: “It is tarnishing the credible work that we all want from the prosecutor’s services.”.

“ Unfortunately, he doesn't do it for reasons of reading that I do party politics. More than that I cannot talk, because there is a lot that I realize in this whole process and all the others that have already developed”, he said.

But Filipe Sousa went even further in his references to the prosecutor of his process, beginning by saying that he is “anxious to meet him”.

“ I think this prosecutor should put his hand on his conscience. Before joining the services of the Public Prosecutor was lawyer and lawyer of the Espírito Santo Group. And he had a very concrete mission: he managed the offshore accounts of the Holy Spirit Group. Therefore, if he thinks that what he did or does in his personal life, in his trajectory, is the same as the citizen Filipe Sousa, who is now a deputy, disengages himself ", warned.

According to the deputy of the JPP, in 12 years he was in the Chamber of Santa Cruz, every year he was constituted accused. An observation that also served to talk about the relations between regional political power and judicial bodies in Madeira.

“ These situations give me strength. At first, when faced with this political persecution, using the judicial institutions for this, I confess that I was concerned. He often stopped sleeping. But gradually I got used to it”, he said.

In this context, he classified the suspicions that he is now being targeted as “perfectly normal” in his political life as mayor and as a Member of Parliament.

“In Madeira, narratives are created to try to stain a political party, which has demonstrated the bankruptcy of political power in the region. On the other hand, through me, they also try to create here in Parliament through a narrative and stain. But they will not succeed, because I already have calluses ", replied.

From a political point of view, Filipe Sousa understands that Madeira has “a totalitarian regime of more than 50 years with the same party governing, which pursues those who, in fact, want to demonstrate alternatives of government”.

“ I am in political life with total transparency. By the way, I usually say that by the time I got to politics, I had a home, a car, a wife and kids. I had two animals and now I have four. It is my wealth”, he added.