According to the newspaper that obtained the recordings, the interception of Costa's conversations from 2020-2022 resulted not so much from the fact of eavesdropping on the former prime minister, but from the surveillance of people close to the socialist politician who were under investigation.
The disclosed wiretapping recordings concern about 20 politicians and businessmen associated with Costa's three governments from 2015-2024.
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How many times was the former Prime Minister of Portugal wiretapped?
What were the reasons for the wiretapping of Antonio Costa?
What was found in Vitor Escaria's office?
What actions did the Portuguese prosecutor's office take in connection with the leaked recordings?
The resignation of Prime Minister Costa at the end of 2023 was influenced, among others, by: discovery in the office of Vitor Escaria, then head of the prime minister's office, as part of the investigation. 75.8 thousand were found there. euros in cash, and the official could not explain the source of the money.
Further searches of the premises occupied by Escaria, who was considered Costa's “right hand”, ended with, among others, finding a portable disk with data of Portuguese intelligence agents.
Scandal in Portugal
Due to the disclosure by “Sabado” of the contents of the wiretaps, the Portuguese prosecutor's office announced the initiation of an investigation against the editorial office of the capital weekly, claiming that “the secrecy of the administration of justice was violated.”
In mid-September, the Lisbon appeals court refused to hand over to Escaria the money found in his office. The judges found that “the money raises suspicion that it may come from a crime.” Initially, Costa's close associate denied that they belonged to him and claimed that he had no knowledge that there were three boxes containing cash in his office.
Several months after the police confiscated the money, Escaria changed his testimony. He began to claim that the cash taken from his office was in fact his property and came from “remuneration for consulting one of the Angolan companies.”
