Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Politico Europe reports:
Portuguese police raided Prime Minister António Costa’s official residence and detained his chief of staff, Vítor Escária, as part of a corruption investigation, Portugal’s attorney general said Tuesday. The probe is linked to lithium exploration schemes in the north of the country and a green hydrogen mega-project in Sines.
Police searches of the prime minister’s residence and the Ministries of Environment and Infrastructure are ongoing. In addition to Escária, Costa’s personal adviser Diogo Lacerda — one of the prime minister’s closest confidants — and Nuno Mascarenhas, the socialist mayor of Sines, have also been detained.
Reuters reports:
In May, opposition parties called on the president to use his power to dissolve parliament when Costa decided to keep Joao Galamba as infrastructure minister, snubbing Rebelo de Sousa who had made clear he wanted Galamba out.
With 60,000 metric tonnes of known reserves, Portugal is already Europe’s biggest producer of lithium, although miners are only now preparing to produce higher-grade lithium that is used in electric cars and to power electronic appliances.
Several companies, both national and international, are trying to tap Portuguese deposits. According to local media, the investigation into lithium is related to mining projects in the northern municipality of Montalegre.
Costa has met with Portugal’s President of the Republic twice this morning; the second meeting lasted mere minutes. The PM will address the nation shortly. It may be the end of the line, folks.https://t.co/1Iovge18gZ
— Aitor Hernández-Morales (@aitorehm) November 7, 2023
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa’s chief of staff among five people detained as part of an investigation related to lithium exploration concessions and a hydrogen production project https://t.co/hzp6EiQQ4D
— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) November 7, 2023