The President of the Assembly of the Republic announced on 21 October that Parliament will act as an assistant in the judicial process concerning the alleged robbery of the office of the leader of Chega, with José António Barreiros acting as its lawyer on a "pro bono" basis.
Parliament communicated this step through a letter from José Pedro Aguiar-Branco's office to the vice-presidents of the Assembly of the Republic, parliamentary leaders, and the sole deputies of BE, PAN, and JPP, which the Lusa news agency received.
The letter states that the Assembly of the Republic, on 20 October, "submitted a request to be constituted as an assistant in the judicial process in which facts likely to constitute the crimes of entering a place closed to the public, aggravated theft, and damage, related to parliamentary facilities and assets, are being investigated."
It is emphasised, then, that this decision “comes at a stage where the development of the investigation and the steps already taken justify a more active procedural intervention by the Assembly of the Republic, with a view to monitoring the facts under investigation and safeguarding the interests of the institution”.
Legal representation
In this context, the letter states that Parliament's legal representation will be provided by lawyer José António Barreiros, “on a pro bono basis, without any fees for the institution”.
The letter also highlights that “in accordance with the commitment made at the leaders' conference”, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco “will continue to closely monitor the development of this matter, with a view to fully clarifying the facts and safeguarding the interests and assets of the Assembly of the Republic”.
Assault on the office
On the morning of 28 July, the president of Chega posted images on social media of his office in Parliament with open cabinets and documents scattered on the floor, indicating that it had been vandalised.
In a press conference, André Ventura said that two USB drives and other objects had disappeared, including material related to the parliamentary commission of inquiry that Chega imposed unilaterally on the actions of Minister Luís Neves as national director of the PJ (Judicial Police) and with political information relating to the office of the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro.
Police investigation
On that same day, the PJ's National Counterterrorism Unit went to Parliament to collect evidence, and sought information to clarify entries and exits from the premises between the night of 27 July and the early morning of the following day, as well as the sequence of events.
On 30 July, the Public Prosecutor's Office announced the opening of an investigation, which is being processed at the Regional Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP) of Lisbon. The PJ is assisting the investigation. At the beginning of September, the Attorney General of the Republic, Amadeu Guerra, said the Public Prosecutor's Office investigation into the alleged invasion and robbery at André Ventura's office is urgent.
On 18 September, Parliament unanimously approved the authorisations for André Ventura and Chega party deputies Francisco Gomes and Paulo Seco to provide written testimony as witnesses.